Dead or Alive
by nbclasvegasfan
Summary: This is a sequal to 'Lieutenant McCoy'. It takes place six months after where the previous story left off. It's action packed and full of emotion. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Author Notes: This is the sequel to "Lieutenant McCoy"; it takes place six months after the previous story and is action packed. I hope you enjoy it. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_**Chapter 1**_

Lieutenant McCoy and PFC Ryan hide out in an abandon warehouse a block away from their subject's residence. McCoy reloads another magazine into his rifle while PFC Ryan keeps a look out. Lieutenant McCoy then removes his helmet momentarily and removes a well worn, folded up, thick, piece of paper. He places his helmet back on his head and unfolds the paper. He looks down at the picture and smiles, running his finger over all of his friends smiling faces.

Suddenly he hears a shot fired and places the picture back in his helmet. He looks to his left and sees PFC Ryan shooting out of a broken window. Danny gets up to help when a flash bang grenade is thrown into the building. Danny falls to his knees grabbing his ears. Twelve Iraqi men come flooding into the room grabbing both lieutenant McCoy and PFC Ryan.

One of the Iraqis takes the butt of their gun and hits Ryan in the face. Danny screams and struggles in the grips of the other men. PFC Ryan continues to struggle and spits in the guys face; he then mutters something to them in another language. One of the men comes over and goes after Danny's neck. Danny struggles trying to get a shot at the man, but fails. The man reaches down under Danny's armor and grabs his dog tags. McCoy looks over at PFC Ryan and the man holding him grabs his dog tags as well.

Danny looks around to size up his competition. There are four men holding Ryan and four holding Danny; and there are four other men surrounding them. Two of the men standing nearby go over to a few overturned chairs and bring them over. The men holding Danny and Ryan place them in the chairs and bound their hands and feet.

Lieutenant Danny McCoy struggles furiously but has no success. A man from behind him comes out with a piece of fabric and unrolls it; reveling a bunch of metal tools. Danny braces himself for what's about to come. The man handling the tools picks up a pair of, would be, pliers and walks over to PFC Ryan. One by one over the next thirty minutes pulls out every tooth in his mouth. PFC Ryan screams, shaking his head back and forth, in agonizing pain. The man then puts down the set of pliers and reaches for his pistol. "Hey! Hey!" Danny calls over to him, but he doesn't seem to notice him. The man then raises the gun to PFC Ryan's head.

"Lieutenant, tell my family I love them!" Ryan yells.

Danny starts to shout at the men "Hey, Hey, you son of a ….." **BANG** the man shoots PFC Ryan in the head. "No, no, no! What was that?" Danny says throwing his head back. The men that were holding Ryan now take Danny's dog tags and put them around PFC Ryan's neck. The rest of the men now take Danny and pick him up off the chair and throw him into the back of a truck. Danny turns himself over to see them pouring gasoline all over the house. The men clear out and the man standing nearest to the house flicks his cigarette and the house rises in flames. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………."Coronal I've lost communication with bravo 1 team." A young man shouts to his commanding officer across the room.

"Send a team to their last known location to see if they can find anything." Coronal Holding commands.

_**4 hours later**_

Private Simms, PFC Curtis, and Private King all make their way to Bravo 1 teams last known location. As they turn the corner they see the house burnt down to the ground. Private Simms calls into base and updates them on the situation. "Alpha team, go in and search the premises. See if you can find anything."

"Rodger that base team." He says hanging up the radio. The three run over to the side of a building, check their surroundings and make their way into the building. Each man takes a room; looking for anything that could tell them where the other two marines could have got to. "PFC Curtis! I've got something in here." Private Simms calls from what used to be the kitchen. The other two marines walk into the kitchen to see Private Simms standing over a burnt corps. PFC Curtis sighs and lowers his head.

"who is it?" he asks, sighing. Private Simms leans down to pull the dog tags from around the corps' neck.

"It's lieutenant McCoy sir."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_**Three days later**_

Mike and Delinda walk through the casino quietly. "Have you talked to Danny about his dad yet?" Mike asks.

"I told him, in the letter I wrote, that I had to talk to him as soon as possible, when ever his next chance to use a phone is."

"I can't believe all the bad luck Danny's had. Being deployed twice, losing Mary, and now his dad in a car accident. I mean wow."

"I know…." There's a long silence as the walk up the stairs.

"I am so not looking forward to this meeting." Mike says, changing the subject.

"The two walk into a conference room and sit down at the table with Nessa and Sam. A few minutes later Ed walks in and places his hands on the table.

"Well I think you all know why I called you here." Ed begins, but then there is a knock at the sliding glass doors. Ed turns around and opens the doors to see Mitch standing there with two military officers standing behind him.

"Mr. D these men are looking for Delinda." Delinda stands up and walks out the door toward the men.

"Miss. Deline can we speak to you in private please?"

"No, whatever you have to say you can say right here."

"Miss Deline I am very sorry to inform you that Lieutenant Daniel McCoy was killed in action overseas while serving his country." Delinda puts her hands to her mouth and falls to her knees. Ed catches her and falls to the floor with her, holding her in his arms. Delinda sits on the floor crying hysterically. "Like we said mam we are very sorry." Nessa and Sam both have their heads buried in Mike's chest. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Danny sits tied to a chair in a dark room, half unconscious. Suddenly a man barges through a door and kicks the chair Danny's sitting in over. "Ok Mr. McCoy, how many times we go through this?" the man asks with an accent; stepping on Danny's face. "What you want with me boss?" Danny lies on the floor not saying anything. "What?" He yells again.

"Daniel McCoy, 1st Lieutenant, United States Marine Corp, 9456……" The man kicks Danny in the ribs, cutting him off from what he was saying. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………."I just don't understand. I just got a letter from him this morning." Delinda sobs into her father's shoulder. "I know sweetheart" Ed say consoling her, letting a few tears escape from his own eyes.

"How would they know to notify me?" she asks.

"Danny, apparently, had you second on his list, next to his father, as next of kin."

"What happened anyway?" she asks still crying. Ed's head perks and he gets up, making his way over to his desk. He sits down and types in a few things into his computer. Delinda sits up and looks over at her father. Ed reads focused intently on the screen. "What? What is it?" she asks.

"Nothing." He says dismissing her.

"What happened Daddy?" she asks again. Again he dismisses her by not replying. "Daddy!" she yells.

"OK!" Ed yells back. "The base lost contact with Danny and PFC Ryan, so they sent out a recovery team to their last known location. When they got there the building was burnt down with a…." he stops, looking over at Delinda.

"A what? A burnt building with a what?" she asks.

"…with a body inside; all the teeth were removed and the only identification were Danny's dog tags." Delinda breaks down again; sliding off the couch onto the floor. Ed jumps up out his chair and runs over to his daughter lying on the floor.

"Wait…" she says looking up at her father who was holding her in his arms, rocking back and forth. "The teeth removed, body burnt, so there's no real way of knowing if it was Danny or not." She says, now sitting up.

"Sweetie his dog tags were found around his neck." Ed says looking into his daughters eyes.

"Yeah, but they could have been planted." She says looking at him, as if pleading.

"Honey?" he says looking at her with sorrow felt eyes. "He's gone D, he's gone." He says now letting his tears run freely. Delinda leans and buries her head in her dad's chest, hitting him with her fists lightly.

"Oh daddy I miss him so much." She cries.

"I know sweetie so do I."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Danny lies in the chair, tipped over, on his back. He uses his hands and feels for anything that could help. Then he feels something, something cold, something sharp, a large piece of glass. He scoots the chair down and tries to get a good grip on it. He finally gets a hold of it and begins to naw away at the rope binding his hands behind his back.

A man, who Danny has heard been called Anbar, walks into the room with a cup of water and a piece of bread. "All you have to do is answer the question and the pain stops Mr. McCoy." He says putting down the water and bread to walk over to Danny. McCoy opens his eyes and eyes Anbar's pistol on his belt. Lieutenant McCoy continues to cut away at the rope, his hands bleeding, his mouth trembling. Anbar walks over and moves to pick Danny's chair up. GOT IT! The rope breaks free. Danny reaches for Anbar's throat and begins tightening his grip around it. McCoy pushes Anbar down and flips the chair on top of him continuing to choke the life out of him.

Finally McCoy stops, looking down at the man he has just killed. He flips the chair back over and bends down untying the rope around his legs. He stands up and drags the body to the corner of the room and takes the pistol from Anbar's belt; along with his radio and extra magazine clips. He walks to the edge of the door and opens it slightly, peeking out. A man stands at the end of the hallway with his back to Danny and the door. The Lieutenant turns down the volume and stores both the radio and magazine clips in his pants pocket and makes his way out of the room. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

By this time Delinda and Ed have left the hotel and gone back to Ed and Jillian's house. Jillian and Delinda sit on the couch quietly, cuddled in each other's arms. Ed walks in and sits down with them, resting his head on Jillian's shoulder. "it all just seems so unreal; like he's going to walk through the door at any moment, like when I'm walking through the casino he'll just come walking up to me." Delinda says starring off into space.

"I know," Ed says, knowing oh to well how she feels. "Tomorrow we should look into funeral arrangements and find a cemetery." Ed says looking down at Delinda.

"I already know where he should be buried." Delinda says. "He should be buried next to Mary and his father." She says simply, looking at a picture on the fireplace mantel. "He was so happy there." She says still starring at the picture. Ed looks over and smiles, he gets up and takes the picture back to the couch. "He thought we had all forgotten his birthday." She says laughing.

"That was a good day." Jillian says smiling at the picture from Danny's surprise party. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Danny creeps up behind the man, grabs his head, and snaps his neck. He then drags the body back into the room, so it couldn't be spotted by someone else. He creeps back out into the hallway and peers around the corner, with the pistol in hand. He continues down a hallway and peeks down another when he spots a guy with an automatic weapon about to come around the corner. Danny stands and waits. Just as he starts to turn the corner McCoy jumps out and hits him in the face, knocking him out cold. Danny stores the pistol in the belt of his pants and takes the weapon the other man had. He makes his way into a nearby room and sees no one. He looks around and spots his gear lying on a table in the corner of the room. His helmet, his armor, his rifle, his knife, his radio, everything, all sitting there on the table. He quickly runs over to the table and checks his helmet; his picture is still there. He then loads all of his gear up and heads out of the room. Seeking past every guard, down every hallway, in every corridor Danny finally makes it out and crouches behind a few boxes. He looks around trying to count how many guards there were and how far from a truck he was. Suddenly he hears the radio had taken from Anbar. "Everyone to the basement! The American has escaped!" a man yells into the radio.

Just then half of the men who had been outside go running into the building. 'Well that worked out well.' Danny thinks to himself. 'Now I only have fifteen guys to get past.' Danny looks around to find anything could be useful and spots an empty Mountain Dew bottle lying next to him. He picks it up and presses it tightly to the pistols barrel. He walks up to the nearest hostile and puts the bottle and pistol to his head and pulls the trigger. There is hardly a noise and the man falls to the ground. Danny pulls him behind the boxes and continues to move forward. After repeating this step a few times he finally makes it over to a truck near an airplane hangar. He gets in and searches for the keys, but finds nothing. Admitting defeat he gets down beneath the steering wheel and rips off the covering and hot wires the truck.

He speeds off down the road and is spotted by a hostile fifty feet away. But he is too late; Lieutenant McCoy is out of there. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's notes:**_ Thanks for the great reviews. I'll try to update frequently; stay tuned and please keep the reviews coming, it lets me know people are interested and keeps me writing.

_**Chapter 2**__****__Two days later_

Danny lies asleep in the front seat of the truck underneath the blistering sun. After two days of driving, stopping to sleep, he has finally run out of gas. He wakes up looking around him, but sees nothing. He stretches his arms, and then reaches in his pocket for his map. After a few minutes of calculation, and wishing that he had a ruler and calculator, he determines that he's a good 150 miles away from base camp. Sighing, he thrusts his head against the headrest and closes his eyes. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Delinda!" Ed yells from downstairs. "Its 10:30, we have to be there in fifteen minutes." He calls up again. Without responding she walks down the stairs with her purse and stands by her father quietly. Ed looks at her with a heavy heart. Jillian comes down the stairs too; they all stand there for a moment before heading out to the car. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mike walks through the hallway of the hotel towards Sam's room and knocks at her door. "Sam, it's Mike." He calls through the door.

"Coming." She calls back before answering the door. She answers the door and walks away. Mike rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

"Are you almost ready? We're supposed to be there in ten minutes."

"We are getting there early anyway; you can't be late if you're getting there early."

"Ness, you almost ready?" Sam calls to her in the bathroom."

"Hold on a second, cant a girl take a pee." She says coming out of the bathroom, now blushing as she sees Mike sitting on the couch. "Ok ready, let's go." She says grabbing her purse and heading out the door with Mike and Sam. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Danny gathers all if his gear. Loading up all of his pockets and making sure he has everything. Sighing deeply he turns around and heads west towards base camp; the whole way holding the picture of all his friends back home.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Delinda opens the trunk of the car, taking a big paper bag out, and carrying it into the funeral home. She walks in and places it on a table near the door; Ed and Jillian are still outside getting some bags. Delinda walks up to the front desk and sees no one, she rings the bell and still no one comes. She turns and walks down the hall towards an office where she had just been the previous day; still seeing no one she walks into a room and sees a big picture of Danny in his Marine uniform standing on an easel next to a closed coffin. She takes a deep breath, taken aback by the surprise. Ed walks down the hall to her,

"D, I've got someone up…" he stops as he sees the coffin. "….front." He finishes. He sighs and looks down. "I'll be in the lobby." He says walking away. One by one people start arriving, after about an hour everyone arrives.

"Will everyone please have a seat we are about to begin the service." A reverend announces. The people do as they're told and enter the large room taking their seats. Ed, Jillian, Delinda, Mike, Sam, and Nessa all sit in the front row where the family sits. Everyone takes their seats and the service beings. The reverend starts to speak, but Delinda doesn't hear any of it. As soon he started talking she stared at the coffin and couldn't take her eyes off of it. At first she just starts to sniffle, but it quickly turns into a full on sob. Ed takes her hand and she rests her head on his shoulder. Ed looks down the row and everyone's crying, including Mike as he consoles the two girls on either side of him. After ten minutes the reverend looks over to Ed and says "and now a few words from Ed Deline." Delinda looks up at her father in surprise. Ed nods his head and walks to the front of the alter.

"Wow…I never thought I would have to do this." Ed says slowly. "Danny McCoy was a…. a good man, a good marine, a good employee, a good son, and a good friend. He brought light to every life that he touched." Ed stops and looks down taking in a deep breath. "When Danny came to work for me five years ago I knew that I was gaining a good employee. I did not know that I was going to gain my best friend; I did not know that I was gaining a son." He says starting to choke up. "Over the course of my life I've lost many of my friends, but not once have I felt as I do now. The world has lost a great person, and he will be missed by all that knew him." He pauses for a moment. "Thank you." He says turning to exit the stage. On his way down he stops at the casket and rests his hand on it. "Rest in peace son."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Twenty miles down." He says in a deep breath, wiping his brow. He walks over to a mountain covered in rocks and takes cover in the shade. He takes his canteen off his belt and takes a sip so small it could hardly be considered a sip. As he puts it back he reaches for his radio. "Base camp this is bravo 1 team, do you come in, over?" no answer. "Base team this is bravo 1 team. Do you come in? Over." He repeats. But still there is no response. He takes in a deep sigh and lifts up his picture again. "I will get back to you guys." He says, getting to his feet. "Only one hundred and thirty miles left." He says getting up to continue his journey. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Delinda cries more severely as her father walks towards her. The reverend walks back up to the podium, "may we have the family exit first fallowed by the rest of the rows. Delinda, Ed, Jillian, Nessa, Mike, and Sam all raise to their feet with a rose in their hands. One by one they all make their way out of the chapel placing a single white rose on 'Danny's' casket.

About thirty minutes later everyone arrives at the cemetery, all with sorrow filled faces. They take their seats and the laying to rest of their best friend begins. The reverend again in front of the casket begins to speak, "we lay to rest now one of god's children taken from us oh so early. I like to think that Danny is looking down on us smiling as we lay him to rest next to his mother and father and his fiancé." The reverend turns around and the casket begins to lower. The only sound that can be heard is the sniveling of the woman in the front row.

Several minutes later everyone is up and about chatting, some are leaving, and others stand in front of the casket looking down at the casket in the ground. Delinda walks up behind a few people standing in front of the casket, and they quickly leave. She stands for a moment and then takes a seat in the front row.

"It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting here with you at Mary's funeral. I guess now I know how you were feeling." Ed walks up slowly behind her and rests his hand on his daughters shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?" he asks quietly. She looks up at him, tears streaming down her face, and nods her head. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Danny continues walking and in the distance sees what looks like a small town. Rubbing his eyes he looks again, making sure it's not a mirage. 'Nope it's definitely there' he says to himself. About ten minutes later he walks along the outskirts of town, hoping not to attract any attention. He walks behind a building and sits there crouching behind a barrel, eyeing a truck that's been left by itself. As he goes to move he jumps back behind the building. Three of the men who had captured him before stand only fifty yards away from him questioning some locals. As he goes to turn around he runs smack dab into four other men who had obviously been looking for him.

"ACHMED!" One of them screams to the other men, calling them over; as hey disarm Danny of all his weapons. Danny struggles to get out of their grip but has no success. The others all come running over and cheer for joy at the sight of the captured American. The man who had questioned Danny just a couple days early arrives standing right in front of Danny. "Achmed I found him." One of the bystanders says to the man standing in front of Danny, in Arabic.

"I see that." He replies calmly in his native tongue. "Mr. McCoy, you have caused great trouble." Achmed says in chopped up English. "You escape once, no more I assure you." He says waving his finger in Lieutenant McCoy's face. McCoy hocks a big loogie right into Achmed's face. The man looks to his associate standing behind him and steps back. The man walks up to Danny, taking the butt of Danny's own rifle and hits him in the jaw with it. McCoy screams and feels his legs give out as he can her the sound of his jaw breaking.

Achmed looks to his men and nods his head, ordering them to fallow him. They walk only momentarily before entering a building. The two men carrying Danny take him up a flight of stairs and throw him into a dark room. Danny lies on the floor grabbing his jaw in pain and drifts off into a deep sleep. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………._**11:00 pm**__****__**by this time everyone has gone home to the comfort of their warm house. **_Ed and Jillian lie on the couch cuddled up doing nothing but enjoying one another's company. "I miss him." Ed says quietly starring at the picture on the fireplace mantel. "I know you do." She says not lifting her head off his shoulder. "Get up." she says now looking up at him. She stands up and grabs her husband's hand. "Come on." She says pulling him off the couch and out the door. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Delinda sits at home with a gallon of ice cream and a photo album in her lap. She turns every page sobbing and smiling at each picture between spoonfuls of ice cream. As she goes to turn another page she drops her spoon on the ground; reaching down for the spoon she spots the pamphlet she had gotten from the funeral and picks it up. She then stands up runs to the door, slips her shoes on, and grabs her keys.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mike sits up in the surveillance room watching the monitors, every few seconds glancing at the chair Danny normally occupied. "Mitch." He calls.

"Yeah Mike." Mitch responds rolling into the room.

"Cover for me I'll be back in a bit." He says walking out of the room. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Sam stands a few slots away from one of her whales glancing up at the security cameras, which she used to make rude gestures to knowing that Danny was watching. She smiles and looks back over at her 400 pound whale; her smile quickly fades away. She looks away and walks over to Chris, a fellow casino host, "Hey watch my whale for me, and I'll be back in a while."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Nessa walks out of the hotel lobby after getting off her shift and walks towards her car. She gets in and drives out of the parking garage and stops at a stop sign. She takes a right towards her house, but suddenly makes a u-turn and drives in the other direction. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ed and Jillian pull up in front of the cemetery and get out. They walk over to the grave site where the dirt is still freshly moved. They stand silently holding each other's hand. Ed turns around at the sound of rustling leaves only to his daughter walking towards him. Not saying a word she walks beside him and grabs his hand. A few seconds later the three turn around to see Mike walking at them; he too walks up silently and grabs Delinda's hand. They turn around again to see Sam walking and then Nessa. The six of them stand on 'Danny's' grave holding hands with their heads bowed. Ed sniffs once and Jillian turns toward him hugging him tightly. He hugs her back and pulls away quickly as he hears Delinda sobbing. He brings her in hugging her tightly and opens up one of his arms letting Jillian, Sam, Nessa, and Mike in. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Danny lies on the floor in a deep sleep. Two men come in, fully armed, carrying a bucket of water, and throw it on Danny's face. Danny shoots upright trying to scream, but quickly decides against it when he feels the pain shoot through his jaw.

"Achmed wishes to see you." One if the men say, with a thick accent.

"Well good for Achmed, I wish to go home, but I'm not getting that anytime soon." McCoy says sarcastically.

"Get up!" the man yells.

"Get out of my room." Danny says again looking away.

The man backhands Danny in his broken jaw, and picks him up. "Now!" he screams. They force Danny down a long and narrow hallway. They walk down the hall and arrive in front of a door that swings open at their arrival.

"Lieutenant…we meet under less…aggressive circumstances." Achmed says smiling at him

"Easy for you to say, you weren't woken up with a bucket of water and backhanded in a broken jaw." Danny says massaging his jaw gently.

"I am sorry about that, if you are willing to cooperate all the pain will stop and you can be on your way." Achmed says softly, gesturing towards the door. Danny looks at Achmed and then to the door suspiciously.

"And how do I know you will really let me go, or that you won't have me killed as soon as I step foot out of that door?"

"You don't, you only have my word."

"Like I am really going to trust that." Danny says laughing.

"Well you either trust me or die here in this dark room."

"I think I'll take option B." Danny says opening his arms wide as if to give them all a free shot.

"Why were you and your team sent after me? What does your government know?" Achmed says pacing back and forth in front of McCoy.

"It wasn't really a team; it was me and one other person. Apparently they didn't think you were very challenging." Lieutenant McCoy says smirking.

"Who are _they_?!" Achmed now yells. "This is the second time you and your government have come after me; why?" he again yells. "All you have to do is answer and you can keep the rest of your loved ones and the….!"

"Keep the rest of my loved ones?" Danny asks, furrowing his brow.

"Oh come on Lieutenant, did you really think it was an awful coincidence that your beloved Mary died the day you got back?" he asks laughing in Danny's face.

"YOU SON OF A B…." Danny screams

"Oh shut up!" Achmed shouts cutting McCoy off. "Honestly I thought you would have known when your father died."

"My father, what are you talking about? My father isn't dead." Danny says looking at the man as if he was delusional.

"Oh…you have not heard then. Your father, one Mr. Larry McCoy, died in a tragic '_car accident__'_." Achmed says using air quotes and now bending down to be at eye level with McCoy. Danny quickly goes from a feeling of sorrow to pure rage. Danny quickly and swiftly takes his arm, cocks it back, and lets one brutal punch loose into Achmed's face. He then jumps on top of him punching him in the face with both hands and all his might.

"YOU MOTHER F…" he starts but is then pulled off by three large men. Achmed stands up slowly wiping the blood from his lip and eye brow.

"You've just made a huge mistake."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Delinda sits at the bar in Mystique on her lap top going through the expense and revenue reports for the month when Ed walks in sitting on the stool beside her. "How's work going?" he asks smiling.

"Slow." She says sighing. "Hey what are you doing after work?" she asks looking away from her computer towards her father.

"Uh…I get off at six and then I'm going home. Why?"

"Do you think you can come over to Danny's with me and go through some of his things?" Ed sighs deeply, and then nods his head.

"Yeah I'll go home and get changed and your mom and I will meet you there around 6:30."

"Thanks daddy." She says leaning in to kiss home on the cheek.

"No problem." He says, now standing up to make his way out of the restaurant. "Hey Mike" Ed says as the restaurant door shuts behind him.

"Hey Mr. D, you just see Delinda?" he asks.

"Ya." Ed says looking back at the door to the club.

"How's she doing?"

"Fine, why?" Ed asks looking confused.

"Oh I thought you would have known. Tina, the head waitress, walked into Mystique this morning for her shift and found Delinda in the back room crying. I was just on my way to see how she was doing." Mike says looking at Ed in the eyes. Ed lets out a deep sigh.

"Ok, thanks Mike."

"No problem Mr. D." Mike calls as they walk their separate ways. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Danny screams, shaking violently.

"I told you, you had made a mistake." Achmed says starring at Danny as he dangles in front of him. "Again." He says to a man standing next to Danny with a long pole in his hand. The man presses it against McCoy's torso, electrocuting him aggressively. Danny shakes back and forth as he hangs on a cable from the ceiling. "What is it that your government wants from me? What do they know?" Achmed asks calmly.

Danny just hangs there with his eyes closed, praying to God to let the pain stop. He tilts his head up and spits out a mouth full of blood on the ground right in front of Achmed's feet. "Again." Danny repeats. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Sanders!" Captain Hall screams, barging into the tent.

"Sir!" Sanders yells, standing at attention.

"What's the status on PFC Ryan's location?"

"We're still looking sir."

"Any leads?"

"No sir, it's like he disappeared off the planet."

"Well he didn't Sanders so keep looking."

"Sir" Sanders calls sitting back at his desk. He types in a few things to his computer and stops. He looks away briefly, then looking back at the computer. Captain Hall has made is rounds through the tent and is on his way out. "Captain!" Sanders calls. Hall turns around abruptly and walks towards him. "I think I found something."

"Well what is it Sanders?"

"I was checking some of the phone filters for our possible suspects and I found something that stands out."

"Spit it out kid."

"Achmed Laden, he's suspected of forming some sort of radical group, but we don't have much information on him. So we set up some phone filters for all of his lines and known associate's lines. Anyways something was caught mentioning Lieutenant McCoy."

"McCoy, he was killed a couple of weeks ago now."

"Yes sir, but if they are mentioning McCoy then they probably know where PFC Ryan is, sir."

"ok well do we have a last known location for Achmed?"

"Hold on a minute let me check the last satellite images. The last location he was spotted at was a building in a small town outside of Bagdad called Al A'Zamiyah."

"Ok, good job Sanders. Now send a team of four out to Achmed's location and pick him up."

"Yes, sir." Sanders replies. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Notes: **__Sorry it's been a while; school and family have had me busy. Please, please, please review. _

_**Chapter 4 **_

Delinda sits on the floor in Danny's room going through his closet when she hears the front door open.

"D, we're here." Ed calls as he enters the apartment. Delinda gets up and walks out into the living room.

"Thanks for coming guys. It's just so overwhelming trying to go through all this by myself."

"Oh it's no problem honey, we're happy to help." Jillian says walking up to her daughter and hugging her tightly. The two pull apart and the three stand around silently. Suddenly the silence is broken with the ring of a phone. Ed looks down at his belt but realizes it's not his. He looks around and sees the phone on the counter ringing. He moves to answer it, but Delinda grabs his arm.

"Just let it ring." She says quietly.

"Hey, you've reached Danny. I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message I'll call you back….maybe." Danny's voice says, coming from the answering machine. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Sir, I've sent out cobra team 2 after Achmed. They left about two hours ago in a buggy; they should arrive at the location within five minutes. I have them on COM so that we can have direct contact with them." Sanders says.

"Are we positive that this is where Achmed is located?" Captain Hall asks.

"We have satellite images of him entering the building a few days ago. He comes in and out a few times to talk to a few people, but he always ends back up in the building."

"Base team, this Cobra team 2 we have arrived at the destination point. We are preparing to penetrate the building." Lieutenant Bell says, talking into his headset.

He holds his hand up, indicating his team to hold their position. With a quick, swift motion of his hand they all run into the building stealthily. The four of them each enter a room and clear it. They form at the bottom of a staircase and hold their position. Again Lieutenant Bell moves his hand and they make their way up the stairs. Bell quickly throws his hand up and they all stop dead in their tracks. Bell looks dead ahead and sees a tango standing in front of a door, clearly guarding it. He then looks around and doesn't see a soul. He lifts his rifle and shoots the man in the head; hardly making a noise with the silencer. The Lieutenant moves his arm forward and the four marines walk up the stairs slowly in formation and clear the floor room by room. They arrive at the last door at the end of the hallway, which the tango had been guarding. There's a trail of dried blood leading to the doorway. PFC Eaton kicks down the door and the four rush the room. "Clear!" Eaton Calls "Clear!" comes Bells voice. "Clear!" calls Anderson. "Clear!" Emerson calls lastly.

"Base team, this is Cobra team 2, there's no one here." Bell says sighing.

"Damn in!" Captain Hall screams.

"Cobra, this is Sanders here, there has to be someone there, no one has left the building."

"Well check again Sanders, because there's no one here." Bell says angrily. Sanders types in a few things into his computer, but it only confirms his previous accusation.

"Cobra, no one has left that building. A few days ago Achmed entered the building with a hostage and about six other people. No one has left that building. Check again."

"Ok, men lets sweep this house again, check everything!"………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Hey Danny, I just wanted to hear your voice man. I miss you." Mikes voice comes from the answering machine. Jillian looks over to Delinda with her eyes welling up with tears.

"That's been going on all week." Delinda says now picking up a garbage bag off the floor. Ed looks to the floor and shakes his head.

"So can you guys start by packing up the living room? Photo albums, DVD's, pictures, and things like that need to be packed and placed by the door. I'm taking that home. Vases and decorative items should be placed in the smaller boxes and set by the counter. The stuff is going to goodwill." She says moving into action. Ed plops down on the floor in front of the entertainment center and begins packing. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The four Marines each take a room to themselves, searching every nook and cranny. "Sir, I've got something here." Eaton says into his headset.

"What is it?" Bell asks now entering the room, followed by Anderson and Emerson.

"Take a look at this." He says pulling a dresser away from the wall, revealing a hidden door.

"Ok base team, we've got something here." Bell says into his headset.

"What is it cobra?" Captain hall asks.

"Well, we've got a passage way going underground. We may lose you on COM, so if you need to contact us try the Nextel's. Let's move out boys." Bell raises his rifle, turns on the attached flashlight, and hikes down the dark tunnel with his team. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"D what are you going to do with all this furniture?" Ed calls to her. She comes walking out of Danny's room to answer him. "Wow you've gotten a lot done." She says looking around. "Um well I'm going to take the couch, the desk, the leaning bookshelves, and the bed. It matches my house and it's better than what I have. The other stuff I asked Mike, Sam, and Ness if they wanted any of it."

"What about the stuff they don't take?" he asks.

"Goodwill, I guess. What else are we going to do so with it?" she asks.

"I don't know. When are Mike and the girls coming over then?" As soon as the words leave is mouth there's a knock at the door. "Ok, never mind." He laughs, and then turns and opens the door.

"Take long enough, I look like an idiot standing out in the hallway with these two losers." Sam says walking in hastily.

"Nice to see you too Sam." Ed says watching her walk by him.

Nessa walks in and kisses Ed on the cheek. "Heya pops."

"Hi sweetie."

Mike walks in last and shakes Mr. D's hand. Ed shuts the door and turns around to see Jillian walking out of the kitchen. They all stand in silence for a minute; looking around at the place where at one point or another they had been with their friend.

"It's weird…" Mike says, "Being here without him. I feel like he's going to walk through the door any second." Just then there's a knock at the door. They all move their eyes toward the door, staring. Ed looks back at the group and moves towards the door and opens it.

"McCoy residence?" a short man in a DHL uniform asks, chewing his gum rather loudly.

"Um well…sort…ya." Ed says finally spitting the words out.

"Sign here please." The man asks shoving a clipboard in Ed's hands. Ed glares at the young man and signs the paper. "here you go." The man says chucking a large envelope at him. Ed shuts the door and laughs quietly.

"Well that was weird." Ed says, handing the envelope to Delinda. She looks down at the package and furrows her brow.

"What?" Jillian asks.

"It's from Danny." ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Bell and the rest of the team walk cautiously down the underground hallway, startling at every noise. "Hold" Bell says suddenly, his men do as they're told. "There's a door up ahead. Emerson, try COM, see if you can get them." He places his hand on the headset and presses the button twice, but there is no response.

"Nothing sir, and I don't have a signal on the Nextel."

"Ok well it looks like we are on our own. Anderson, get out the thermal imaging goggles. I want to see what's on the other side of that door. Emerson, keep trying Base team, we may need some help on this one. Eaton, keep your eyes on that door." Anderson hands Bell the goggles. He puts them to his eyes and looks through the lenses. "Ok, there are two men standing in front of the door; one on the right and the other on the left. I think I see PFC Ryan!" Bell says excitedly. "He looks to be in bad shape, so we're going to have to take all these guys out before we can even think about getting to him. We have to hurry though it looks like they are working him pretty hard."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Achmed stands in front of Danny and rolls his sleeves up. "This is only going to get worse McCoy. Just answer the question." Danny just hangs from the cable, which has now been lowered to give the men a clear shot at his face. Achmed punches McCoy's face again, which is hardly recognizable. "Well it looks like this isn't getting us anywhere. Let's try something new shall we. Lower him and tie him to the chair." He says to a man standing nearby. The man does as he's told and ties Danny to the chair.

Danny moves his head around, just barely hanging on to consciousness. He opens his eyes and tries to look around but can hardly see anything due to his face being so swollen. He then feels his hand being grabbed, and tries to free it, but it's no use.

"Prepare yourself Marine, this is going to hurt." Achmed says laughing. He then takes a thin, but wide piece of metal and shoves it under McCoy's finger nail.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" The lieutenant screams. "PAIN!!!!!" he shouts. "IS…WEAKNESS…..AHHHHHHHH….LEAVING…..THEAHHHHHHHH…..BODY!!!!!!"

"Achmed rolls his chair away in disbelief and looks at Danny. "You stupid man; this is not pain. You have not even begun to feel pain."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"What is taking you three so long?" Bell asks, agitated as he hears another scream coming from upstairs.

"Sir we need to have an escape route before we go barging up there, otherwise this will all be for nothing and we'll just get ourselves killed.

"Well hurry it up wont you? That marine up there is being tortured!"………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Answer the question you stupid man!" Achmed yells. Danny drops his head back and closes his eyes. He sits there picturing his friends back home. Imagining what they were all doing at that very moment.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"What do you mean it's from Danny?" Sam asks.

"It's addressed to Danny McCoy, and from Danny McCoy." Delinda says looking down at the label, making sure to read it carefully.

"Well open it already." Sam says sounding annoyed.

Delinda does just that. She carefully peels off the top of the envelope and looks inside. She pulls out six smaller envelopes and one piece of paper.

"What is it?" Jillian asks.

"It's a letter."

"To who?" Nessa asks curiously.

"To all of us, from Danny." Delinda says in disbelief. She looks down at the piece of paper and begins to read.

"_Ed, Delinda, Jillian, Mike, Sam, or Nessa, I'm not sure which one of you is reading this; I just knew one of you would be at my apartment at one time or another to get this letter. I have written this letter ten different times and can never get it to come out right. Well my plane is about to __land__ so either way, perfect or not, this is the letter you are getting. __I left Delinda at the terminal __a few hours ago__ and as I was walking away I couldn't help but smile; smile at the fact that I have been so blessed. I couldn't have asked for a better family; a little dysfunctional maybe, but nonetheless a family. I just wanted you all to know how I feel,__…__ or felt,__…__ I don't know this is weird writing this letter. __Anyway, in this envelope I have__ left a letter to each of you. __I hope, in some way, it provides some closure. __Your friend__Danny McCoy"_

Delinda looks up from the letter, her eyes filled with tears. As she looks around the apartment she sees the same reaction in the rest of her friends faces. Ed turns away and walks towards the kitchen. She then pulls the remaining envelopes out of the bigger envelope and reads off the names.

"Mike," He walks forward and takes it gently from Delinda's hands. "Sam," She looks up as if startled and she too takes her envelope. "Nessa," She wipes her eyes and steps forward. "Jillian," Jillian leaves Ed's side and walks to retrieve her letter and walks back to the kitchen. "Ed," Delinda says now looking up to see her father's reaction. He walks forward and takes it silently. His eyes welled up with tears, fighting desperately not to let them out. Delinda is now left with just her own letter in her hand and sits down at the kitchen table. Ed and Jillian sit at the bar in the kitchen; Mike and Nessa sit on the couch while Sam sits at their feet.

Ed slides his finger along the inside of the envelope and opens it smoothly. He begins to read;

_Ed, __this is really strange having to write this letter, knowing that if you read it I will no longer be with you. I'm sure you've written letters like this; luckily for you no one has had to read them. __I hope you know that I thought of you like a father and that I respected you. Ever since I met you I have compared everything I do to what you would do. Whether that be at work, in my personal life, or even now at war. __ I have to admit when I was recalled all those months ago I was scared, but I just thought of what you would do. You would do what was right, what needed to be done, regardless of your own personal safety. I've never told anyone this, but that day in Iraq when my team was being overrun I had a difficult decision to make and I got through it by doing what I thought you would do. So in retrospect you saved my life that day. Apparently this last time I misjudged what you would do, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this letter right now and I would be home with you guys. I just hope that I haven't let you down. I have never met anyone that I have had more respect for. Thank you again for all that you have done for me. _

_Love yo__ur friend, your son__Danny McCoy_

Ed sets the letter back down on the counter and looks over at his wife whose face is just streaming with tears. She sobs quietly and continues to read her letter.

_Jillian, you have got to be the most patient women on the planet. Which, I guess, is a requirement if you're married to Ed; ha ha ha. I'm sure you know that my mother died when I was just a kid. Ever since then I have built walls up around myself to make sure that no one ever took her place, but without even knowing it, you slipped right under that wall and became a mother to me without me even realizing it. You didn't take her place, but you __created__ a new roll__ for yourself__. You were always there when I was having a hard time with one of Ed's 'assignments', you just encouraged me to keep pushing on and sure enough I'd get through it. _

_ To be honest I was always jealous of Delinda for having two great parents in her life. Little did I know then that, in a way, they would become my parents too. Always taking me under your wing or pushing me out in the cold when I needed it. Always there to give me advice, all the things parents do. I will always treasure the time that you have taken to include me in your family. _

_ Oh and just so you know, the care packages that you sent were fantastic. It helped having a military wife on my side. The guys would always eat the cookies Mary sent because they were in plain sight. Your snacks, however, were always cleverly hidden. The packages of Oreos hidden in the new boots; the gum tucked away in the new socks; and the snack size cheeze-it packs tucked under the hats. You have no idea what a comfort it was to __know that I had real food waiting for me back at camp. __Thanks again mom,__Love your son__Danny McCoy_

Jillian sets the letter down on the counter and walks over to Ed and buries her head in his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. "I know sweetheart, I know." Ed says gently, trying to console his wife. He glances over to Mike who quickly wipes the corner of his eye so that no one will see him crying. He looks away from his letter for a minute and then looks back down at the piece of paper.

_Mike, you once asked me if I "considered us just friends, or friends friends." Ha ha ha. Well I hope that you already know the answer to that question. When I was recalled the first time there were quite a few instances where I found myself wishing that you were there__ with me to help through the technical problem of the day__. I would never admit it, but I was always jealous of how smart you were. It seemed that every time I had a question the great Mike Cannon would arrive to answer it for me. Ha ha ha. Between the two of us we were the perfect guy; I was the looks and you were the brains, just kidding. I know you have had a little trouble in the love department, but __I'm going to solve that problem right now. __ To help you out I'm going to give you something that you will thank me for. In my nightstand you will find a small, blue, notebook. In this notebook there is the name of every girl I have ever dated and their phone number. __The thing is you don't need all those numbers because you already kn__ow the person you are meant to b__e with. I know you like Nessa, I also know that she likes you too. So with that in mind you might think "well Danny then why do I need this book?" well Mr. Cannon,__ this book will still save your life. There is __also the name of __all the best__ restaurant__s__ within a thirty mile radius. If you mention my name the hostess will hook you up with the ultimate dinner for you and __Nessa__. How do you think I always got the girls to fall for me? I know you thought it was just my good looks. Chuckle chuckle. Well I hope this helps you out a little. __ Mike, thank you for being my best friend; no matter what was going on in either of our lives you were always there for me. Thanks again man, bros before hoes, right?_

_Your __Bro__Danny McCoy_

Mike looks away from his letter and jumps off the couch, almost running towards Danny's bedroom. He opens up the nightstand and rummages through a few things before stumbling upon the notebook. He picks it up and flips through the pages when a small piece of paper falls out. Mike picks it up and unfolds it, 'I knew you would run in here at get it.' The note reads. Mike smiles and giggles softly as he takes the book and walks back out to the living room. He eyes Nessa and walks over and sits on the arm of the couch next to her. Sam has moved up to the couch next to Nessa and they both are reading their letters. Sam drops the envelope and bends down to pick up and looks back to her letter trying to find her place.

_Sam, we didn't always get along, but I always thought of you as my bratty little sister. We would tease each other and make fun of the other, just trying to get under the others skin. I'd tease you about not having a life and you'd tease me about being a 'player'. You have always seemed so content with your work, but if this war has taught me anything it's that you need to put yourself out there and take some chances. You can't be afraid to get your feelings hurt. Go out and do something that you never thought you'd do. Live your life to the fullest; this may all sound a little cliché, but it's true. When your life comes to an end the worst thing is to have a bunch of regrets. So if you won't do it for yourself then do it for me. Live your life Sam, don't work it. __Love your brother__Danny McCoy_

Nessa laughs softly and smiles.

_Nessa, also known as the ice queen; a hard ass pit boss by day, a fun daring woman by night. I never did show you the sights of Vegas like I promised did I? I guess there are a lot of things that I never did. The one regret that bothers me the most is that I never went after Mary and told her how I felt. I just waited around and hoped that things would work themselves out. Obviously that plan didn't work out and by the time that I came to my senses it was too late. Unexpected things happen, you can't just sit around and hope something great happens, you have to go out and make them happen. What I'm trying to say is…Mike likes you too. You need to go after him; Mike's a smart guy except when it comes to women. So you need to help him out a little, ask him out if you have to. Just don't let him get away; you guys are perfect for each other even you don't see it now you will soon. __ Out of all our friends you are the one that I can relate to the most. We both lost one of our parents at a young age. We both had Ed and Jillian sort of like surrogate parents and love them deeply. The one thing that I don't want us to have in common is that we both let our loves get away. So go after Mike, Ness. _

_Love your brother__Danny McCoy_

Nessa cries with her head in her hands and then turns to Mike, who is at her side. She gets up and wraps her arms around him tightly not wanting to let go. "I'm not going anywhere." Mike says warmly. Nessa nods her head and let's go of him, sitting back down on the couch.

Delinda sits at the kitchen table and looks around at her friends and family finishing their letters, as she sits there afraid to open hers. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Speed it up!" Bell commands.

"We're ready sir." Eaton states.

"Let's move, on my mark, go!" Bell yells as he kicks down the door.

"Three o'clock! " Emerson yells. Anderson turns and shoots the tango down.

"Two tangos at twelve o'clock!" Eaton shouts. Bell pivots on his right heal and takes both of them out with a spray of ammunition. "Clear!" three of the marines shout in unison. Bell motions for the men to move down the hallway and they form outside the first door.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Get him up and let's move!" Achmed commands in a loud whisper. The remaining two men lift McCoy and head out the window to the rickety fire escape. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Clear!" Eaton calls from one room.

"Clear!" Anderson calls from another. They walk back into the hallway and see Emerson and Bell walking out of a couple rooms themselves, not finding anything. They then look to the room at the end of the hallway and make their way towards it preparing for the worst.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author Notes:**_**Personally I really like this chapter, but maybe it's just me. Let me know what you**** think. Please read and review; the faster you review the faster the next chapter goes up. **

_**Chapter 5**_

Achmed rushes down the staircase yelling at his men to hurry up, he looks back over his shoulder and sees his men struggling to carry McCoy who is no longer recognizable. Danny's face is so swollen and covered with blood, dirt, and bruises that his eyes aren't even visible. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Now!" Bell screams and he kicks down the door. He and his team charge into the room, but see no one. Bell sprints to the window and sees Achmed and his men carrying the Marine down of the last ladder. "Over here!" Bell shouts; his men run and jump out the window behind him. "Watch your fire they have Ryan with them!" Bell again yells.

The four marines hurry down ladders and begin to run after the men but then dive behind a dumpster as Achmed and his men turn around and open fire on them. "Eaton, Anderson, go behind the building and try to cut them off, remember to watch your fire." Bell commands. "Emerson, you're with me, let's go." He says running from the dumpster to behind an immobile car.

The targets run around a corner; Bell and Emerson sprint after them and reach the corner. Bell raises his rifle and takes careful aim on the lower back of one of the men carrying their fellow marine. BANG he shoots the man square in the back and he falls on his face, taking the marine and the other man with him. The other target tries to recover quickly by standing up, but Bell gets to him too quickly, with a swift pull of the trigger the man falls to the ground leaving the marine lying limp. Achmed continues to run and turns the corner not looking back. Bell and Emerson rush to the marine's side and turn him over to expose his face. "Oh my god." Bell mumbles to himself. Emerson looks up and sees Eaton and Anderson kneeled down at the corner shooting everything they have at Achmed, from bullets to hand grenades.

"Sir, are we sure that this is PFC Ryan?" Emerson asks, kneeling next to the marine lying on the floor.

Bell takes his hand and places it on the marine's neck. "He's got a pulse, but we have to get him to medical fast." He then looks around the marines neck and finds nothing, he then searches the pockets and finds a set of dog tags. "That's how." Bell says pulling out the dog tags that read John Ryan. He reaches back in the pocket and pulls out the picture of Danny and his friends. "He must have grabbed it from McCoy's body before they took him away." Bell says looking down at the photo. "Ok men let's get this man some help." Bell says standing up now. "Base team this cobra team 2 do you come in?" Bell says trying them on COM.

"Cobra! What the hell happened?" Captain Hall screams.

"That's not important right now captain, what's important now is that we have PFC Ryan and he needs medical attention. I need a chopper at my location now." ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Danny's six best friends all stand in the kitchen laughing and smiling now, telling stories about Danny and the good times they had. "Well I'm sorry to say it guys, but I have to get going; my aunts flying into town tonight." Mike says clapping his hands together.

"Mike before you go, I need to get rid of some of this furniture. You guys can decide amongst yourselves, but I'm taking the couch, desk, leaning bookshelves, and the bed. The rest is fair game." Delinda says looks to Mike and the rest of the gang.

"Dibs on the kitchen table." Nessa calls raising her hand.

"I want the recliner." Mike says looking to see if anyone objected. Sam looks at his with her eye brow cocked.

"Only you would want that hideous thing." She says half laughing. Ed looks down at the floor and laughs at the look on Mikes face.

"What's wrong with it? It's a comfortable recliner, it's not that ugly." The rest of his friends then start to lose it.

"Are you sniffing glue?" Ed asks laughing, "That is the ugliest piece of furniture I've ever seen."

"Oh well excuse me if I don't have an interior designer." Mike says putting his hands up.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ed asks stepping closer to Mike.

"Nothing." Mike says, his voice getting higher and stepping backward.

"That's what I thought." Ed says, taking a few steps back.

Sam stands there watching Mike, laughing at him, "You're such a wimp." She says walking into the kitchen to grab her purse. "I have to go too, I have a whale coming in tomorrow and I need to make sure everything's ready. So I'll see you guys later."

"Wait Sam, so you don't want anything?" Delinda asks.

"Yeah like I have room to put this stuff in my hotel suite." She says sarcastically. "I'll see you guys later. Kisses." She says raising her hand in the air as she exits the apartment.

"She's a handful," Ed says shaking his head. "But you gotta love her."

"Yeah well, I really have to go now; my aunt will kill me if I'm not there to pick her up at the airport."

"I have to go too, it's getting late." Nessa says walking up to her mother and hugging her. "I'll see you on Sunday for dinner, yeah?" she says as she pulls away.

"We better." Ed pipes in.

"I'll see you later pops." Nessa says smiling as she hugs him.

"Ness, you need a ride home?" Mike asks.

"Yeah that'd be great." She says smiling. The two make their way out of the apartment, leaving the Deline's by themselves.

"Thanks again for your help guys; it really took a load off my mind."

"Don't worry about it." Ed says smiling. Jillian walks into the kitchen to get her purse and clean up a bit. Ed walks up to his daughter and wraps his arms around her. "It's ok to open the letter you know." He whispers in her ear.

"No it's not, once I open it, it means he's really gone." She whispers back, her voice shaking.

"He's gone baby, he's gone." Ed says as he closes his eyes, still hugging his daughter tightly. Delinda begins to sob lightly into her father's shoulder. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Cobra team, Eternity is inbound, eta: 5 minutes."

"Rodger that base team, we are just coming up on the rendezvous point."

"What's the status on Ryan?" Sanders asks.

"He's in pretty bad shape, his face is swollen and unrecognizable, and he's covered in blood and looks to have electrocution marks all over his torso. He's been unconscious since we've retrieved him, but he seems to have a steady pulse." Bell says looking over the man on the floor. "Base team we have a visual of Eternity."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ed and Jillian stand in front of the door saying goodbye to their daughter for the night. "Are you sure you don't want to spend the night at our house tonight?" Jillian asks, looking deeply into her daughters eyes. Delinda nods her head and smiles at her mother.

"I'll be fine mom." Delinda says hugging her mother again as she locks eyes with her father. Jillian lets go and Delinda walks over to Ed and hugs him goodbye.

"You know the address if you need anything." He says kissing her on the cheek.

Jillian and Ed finally make their way out of the apartment and Delinda shuts the door behind them. She turns back around and falls against the door, sliding down to the floor. She sits there starring around the room when her eyes land on her purse at the kitchen table. She continues to sit there for a few more moments before standing up. She walks over to her purse and opens it gently, almost afraid to look inside. Taking in a deep breath she pulls out the envelope with her name on it. She looks down at her name written in Danny's handwriting and walks into his bedroom. She sits down on the bed and opens the envelope cautiously. She pulls the letter out and unfolds it with extreme care.

_D, I really don't know what to say. In the letters I wrote to everyone else it all just seemed to spill out onto the paper. With you, there's just so much I want to say, but I __don't know how to put it. Well here goes nothing. __ I hope you know that after Mary died the only thing that kept me going, the only thing that got me to wake up every morning was knowing that you were there to help me through it all. __I also hope you know that after we went through all of that together I looked at you as more than just a friend. I love you Delinda Deline and it tears me apart that I never got to tell you that in person. I have to consider myself the luckiest guy on the planet; most guys are lucky to get one true love in their lifetime; I had two._

_I also have a few favors to ask you. In my nightstand there's an envelope with my dad's name on it. I would really appreciate it if you would take it to him personally. I was all he had left and I want him to go on with his life. The last favor is an easy one, I promise. Just take care of my car for me. It was my mothers and it means a lot to me. _

_I love you Delinda Deline and don't ever forget or doubt that. Know that I will never leave you; I will always be with you, watching over you, and guiding you through the tough times. Goodbye, D._

_Love your man__Danny McCoy_

Delinda presses the letter to her heart and lets the tears flow freely down her face. She lies down on Danny's bed, curled up in a ball, sobbing as she rereads the letter. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"How long has he been unconscious?" the medic yells to Bell over the sound of the chopper.

"We got to him about 45 minutes ago and he's been unconscious ever since." Bell shouts back.

"Ok let's get you and your men out of here." The medic yells. He and Bell lift the unconscious marine onto the stretcher and they all run to the chopper and board it quickly.

"Base team, this is Cobra team 2, we have the package and are inbound to base camp, eta, twenty minutes."

"That's good news Cobra team, keep us updated." Sanders replies with a sigh of relief. He then takes off his headset and places it on his desk and turns his chair around, facing Captain Hall.

"Good work Sanders." Captain Hall says looking relieved.

"We're not out of the woods yet, sir." ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author Notes:**__** Need a review in order to post another chapter. Please read and review. **___

_**Chapter 6**_

(The next morning)

"How's he doing doc?" Captain Hall asks as he walks into the hospital room.

"He's stable, but he's very lucky you got him here when you did." The doctor says in a low voice.

"Do you expect him to wake up anytime soon?" Hall asks now looking into Doctor Robertson's eyes.

"He has been through unimaginable pain, his body is in extreme shock, and it could be hours or weeks before he wakes up, if at all." Robertson says as she looks over the chart.

"Ok thanks doc." Hall says as Robertson leaves the room. He sits down in the chair to the right of the unconscious marine. He lowers his head and prays a silent prayer. As he brings his head back up his eyes focus on the marine's right arm. He moves towards the arm and lifts the short sleeve of the hospital gown up a little higher. He runs out into the hallway of the hospital and looks around. "Robertson!" he screams. The doctor comes running around the corner into the marine's room.

"What, what's wrong?"

"Have you run a DNA test?" Hall asks loudly.

"What do you mean have I…"

"Have you run a DNA test, answer the question!" Hall yells.

"I…I…"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

"NO!" she says now yelling back. "I was told this was PFC John Ryan, why would I run a DNA test?"

"Because it's protocol! And because this isn't PFC John Ryan!"………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Have you heard from Delinda this morning?" Mike asks Ed as he enters Ed's office.

"Nope, not yet." Ed replies not looking up from his computer. "Why?"

"Well she was supposed to be at a meeting with me and the rest of the department heads but she didn't show, and she hasn't called in sick either." Mike now has Ed's attention.

"Maybe she just over slept." Ed says shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah you're probably right; let me know when you hear from her though." Mike says as he leaves the office. Ed reaches for his cell phone and dials his daughter's number.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Delinda stirs at the sound of her phone vibrating on the night stand. She rolls over and picks the phone up, placing it to her ear without even opening her eyes. "Hello" she answers groggily.

"Hey sweetie, where are you?" Ed asks

"At Danny's, why what time is it?" she asks.

"It's eleven thirty." He replies. Delinda shoots up and looks at the clock.

"Oh my god, I totally overslept. Oh I missed the department head meeting didn't I? Crap!" she says standing up and looking for her shoes.

"hey sweetie why don't you just take the day off? We've got everything covered."

"No, besides missing the meeting I have a lot to do today, the fire marshal's coming at three for an inspection and the Vegas restaurant critic is supposed to be in sometime today. Ugh… I'll be there in a half hour." She says hanging up the phone.

Ed takes the phone away from his ear and looks at it momentarily. "Oh good morning dad, thanks for waking me up" Ed mimics "oh no problem sweetie" ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"What do you mean this isn't PFC Ryan?" Robertson asks confused.

"Ryan had two tattoos, one on the back of his neck and the other on his forearm. This man has one on his shoulder and torso. This man is not PFC Ryan."

"If it's not Ryan then who is it?" Robertson asks alarmed.

"Well if I didn't know any better I'd say that man there is Lieutenant Danny McCoy." Captain Hall says looking at the marine lying in the bed.

"Lieutenant McCoy was pronounced dead weeks ago, I filed the report myself."

"You also claimed that this was PFC John Ryan, _yourself_." Captain Hall states, looking at the young doctor skeptically. "You have some major problems to fix and these ones aren't going away with a band aid."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Ok, I'm here." Delinda says out of breath as she walks into Ed's office. "When you see Mike can you give him this revenue and expense reports? Also tell him I'm really sorry about missing the meeting this morning. Oh and I need to borrow the Montecito pick-up truck tonight. Mike's agreed to help me take that extra furniture from Danny's over to goodwill." Ed gets up and walks over to her and places his hands on her arms.

"Sit down." He says.

"What? No, I'm already late."

"Sit down." Ed says more directly. Delinda does as she told and sits down in the chair in front of Ed's desk. "You read the letter didn't you?"

Delinda looks up at her father and then back to the floor. She nods her head yes. "You ok?" He asks. Delinda shakes her head no.

"How am I supposed to be ok with this? How am I supposed to be ok with the fact that he's dead? How am I supposed to be ok with seeing his face everywhere I turn?"………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Captain Hall stands in the corner of the hospital room watching Doctor Robertson take some blood from the marine lying in the bed. "What are you going to do if this is in fact Lieutenant McCoy?" Hall asks with his arms crossed.

"What do you mean, what will I do?"

"I mean McCoy's family has already been informed that he's dead, they've already had the funeral service. How are you going to explain this to your commanding officers? If I am not mistaken, you are the one who declared McCoy dead in the first place." Hall says, now starring the doctor down. "How on earth did you get your medical license?"

"We are not even sure that this is McCoy, so why don't you just calm down until we get the DNA results?" Robertson yells.

"Don't raise your voice to me!" Hall yells back. Robertson immediately turns bright red and lowers her head. "Now when are these results supposed to be in?" Hall asks, lowering his voice.

"I put a rush on it, so about three hours."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"You're not supposed to be ok with it." Ed says now kneeling in front of his daughter. He wipes a tear from her face and smiles. "Now why don't you go get yourself cleaned up and then get to work." He says smiling. "You slacker, get to work or I'll have to fire you."

Delinda laughs and stands up. "Shut up." She says still laughing as she leaves his office.

She walks out of his office and down the long hallway towards the casino floor. "D!" Mike calls as he turns the corner. Delinda looks up and smiles.

"Mike, listen I'm so sorry about missing that meeting this morning."

"Don't worry about it, but if you could get me those reports by the end of the day, because I have to log them into the computers by tomorrow morning."

"I just left them in dad's office."

"Ok, cool. I'll see you later." Mike calls as he walks away. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_**Two hours and thirty minutes later**_

"Captain!" Robertson calls walking briskly towards Captain Hall down the hospital corridor. Hall turns around to face her. "May I have a moment?" Hall fallows her to her office and shuts the door behind him.

"Well, what's it say?"

"I haven't opened it yet; I thought I'd wait until you were here."

"Well here I am, so…wait before you open this, if the marine in that room is McCoy, does that mean that the man you thought was McCoy is really PFC Ryan?"

"I believe so, yes."

Captain Hall sighs deeply and shakes his head. "Go ahead open it, what's it say?" Robertson opens the folder and begins to scan the chart.

"It's McCoy…" she says closing her eyes. Captain hall lets out a strong sigh.

"Well it looks like I'm going to Las Vegas." Hall says standing up.

"Vegas? Why?" Robertson says, standing up to be at eye level.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to tell his family that McCoy's alive over the phone, after they've been thinking he's dead for almost a month."

"Why don't you just send someone out there?"

"McCoy is a good friend of mine, he deserves better; especially after what he has done for his country. Plus why pass up a chance to go to Vegas? I'll see you later doc."………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ed walks from his office down to surveillance and sits in a chair next to Mitch. "Anything exciting today?" Ed asks leaning back in his chair.

"Not really, a couple frat boys with cards up their sleeves, but that's it." Mitch says shrugging his shoulders. "Oh wait, looks like we have a fight breaking out in Opus."

"Call Danny and…" Ed starts. "Never mind I'll handle it." He says getting up from his chair angrily. He walks down the hallway and out onto the Casino floor, making his way over to Opus. "HEY, HEY KNOCK IT OFF!" Ed yells, moving between the two men. He looks to one of them and turns his head to the other. As he does this he gets a strong fist to the jaw. He stumbles back and grabs his jaw; he looks up at the man and moves towards him.

"Bring it on old man." The drunk says waving him on. Ed strikes the guy in the face, then the gut, causing the man to double over. Ed moves in and brings his knee up swiftly to connect with the man's head.

"Greg!" Ed calls, catching his breath. "Take these guys to holding." Ed sighs and walks over to the bar. "Carly" Ed says, calling over the bartender. "Scotch." Carly turns around and grabs a bottle and pours some scotch into a small glass.

"Rough morning?" She asks handing him the glass.

"You could say that." He says just before he downs the alcohol. "I'll see you later." He says getting up from the bar and walking away.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Notes: **__**Sorry it's been a while, I've been on vacation. The upcoming chapters are going to be great though. I have two more after this one already completed. I hope to update regularly, but somehow I only seem to be able to update when I get a review; it's weird. Lol**_

_**Please read and review. Thanks**_

_**Chapter 7**_

Captain Hall walks into McCoy's room to check on him before he leaves. He sits down next to the unrecognizable man lying in the bed. He looks up at the marine's face trying to see the man he once knew. He stands up and closes his eyes praying for McCoy to wake up. As he opens his eyes he looks to the motionless body, hoping for a miracle. When there is no response he lets out a deep sigh and walks out of the room. 

He walks down the hallway and presses the button to call the elevator, but turns around at the sound of commotion behind him; alarms going off and nurses and doctors running to a room. Captain Hall starts to walk back and then begins to run when he realizes that they are running into Danny's room. He runs into the room to see McCoy very much awake and struggling fiercely to get out of the orderlies grip. "RYAN!" he screams. "THEY KILLED HIM!" 

"Let the man go, let him speak!" Hall yells to the orderlies. They look towards Doctor Robertson who has just entered the room and she nods her head. The two men do as they are instructed and let McCoy go. Hall walks over to the side of the bed and rests his hand on Danny's shoulder, "Lieutenant, it's Captain Hall, do you know where you are?" he asks in a low voice. Danny shakes his head no. "Do you remember what happened to you?" Danny nods his head yes. 

"Ryan, they killed Ryan." Danny mumbles. 

"I know soldier, we'll get this all figured out once you get some rest." Danny tries to speak, but Hall instructs him not to. "McCoy, when we found PFC Ryan's body… there was some… confusion… and we thought that it was you. Your family was informed about a month ago that you were killed in action. They haven't been informed that you are alive yet." Hall looks down at McCoy and sees a single tear flow down the side of his distorted face. 

"Don't tell them…" Danny says, struggling to get the words out. 

"Maybe we should talk about this later." Hall says giving a worried glance over to Robertson.

"No Captain, listen to me. They are watching my family." Danny says now choking. 

"What do you mean McCoy?" Hall asks moving closer to hear Danny better. 

"They are the ones who had Mary and my father killed. Please just don't tell them that I'm alive, not yet." McCoy says struggling to breath. 

"I think that's enough for now Captain." Doctor Robertson says, stepping in. "Lieutenant, I'm going to give you something to help with the pain, and hopefully it will bring some of this swelling down." She says as she injects something into his IV. Danny nods his head and quickly drifts back to sleep. 

"I can't believe this." Hall says collapsing in a chair in the corner of the room. "Leave it to McCoy to bring some more drama into the picture." He says half laughing. 

"So what are you going to do about his family?" Robertson asks. 

"Nothing yet, at least not until I can get some more information out of McCoy and what the hell this Achmed character is up to."

Ed pulls up at the cemetery and turns the engine off. He sits in the car for a long while, looking out at Danny's headstone. He watches people standing in front of other headstones; some are crying, some are just cleaning the area around their loved ones space. "If you're gone why doesn't it feel like it?"

_**Three hours later**_

Captain Hall sits in the chair still, sleeping. One of the nurses walks into the room to check on Danny and change the bandage on his neck. As she moves to get a new bandage from under the counter Danny wakes up and looks over to her. She stands up and smiles at him. "Well hello Lieutenant." She says smiling. "You have caused quite a bit of commotion here for the past day or so." Danny tries his best to smile and finds it easier to talk now then it had been hours earlier. 

"Just trying to keep you on your toes." He jokes. 

The nurse smiles and moves over to examine his face. "Wow, the swelling has gone down remarkably." She exclaims. "You'll be out of here in on time."

Danny smiles again, "what's your name?" he asks softly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Brittany. I have been taking care of you the past few days, I just feel like we know each other."

"Brittany, can I have some water?"

"Sure thing." She replies, and turns around grabbing a pink plastic cup and fills it with water from the tap. She then puts a bendy straw in it and holds it up to Danny's mouth to take a sip. "Better?" she asks.

"Much. Hey what did you guys to do my jaw, it feels like new?"

"The doctors fixed you all up. Your jaw was knocked out of place, your arm was out of its socket, you had a pretty good sized gash on your neck which you had thirteen stitches in, and they have tried to heal your fingers as best they can." She says as she reads his chart. Danny brings his left hand up and sees the bandages around fingers and shutters at the memory of what they did to him. 

Captain Hall begins to stir in the corner and looks over at the bed to see McCoy awake and talking. He stands up and walks over. "Wow that swelling went down fast." Hall states rather surprised. "You can actually see your face." He jokes. 

"Was it that bad?" Danny asks looking up at his commanding officer. 

"We had to run a DNA test to find out who you were. You were unrecognizable." There is a short silence and Hall can tell that what he said is making Danny extremely uncomfortable. "The good news is that after only a few hours you can see you face and you only have a few cuts and bruises." He says smiling. 

Danny flinches as Brittany peels off the old bandage on his neck. "Sorry," she says, "the worst is over." She then takes the new dressings out of its wrapper and gently places it on the wound. "All done." She says standing up straight and throwing the trash away. 

"Brittany, can you excuse us for a moment?" Cpt. Hall asks politely. Brittany nods her head and quietly exits the room. "Are you up for some more talking?" Hall asks looking down at McCoy. Danny nods his head yes. "Ok, so start from the beginning I guess." 

Danny takes in a deep breath and begins, "We were in an old abandon house right after we had got done talking to you. I had sat down for a second to catch my breath and Ryan was keeping a look out through a broken window. He started to open fire so I stood up to assist him, but…" Danny stops and furrows his brow. 

"But what?" Hall asks impatiently. 

"…but then someone threw a flash-bang in the room. I could only a here a loud, high-pitched buzzing and I fell to my knees grabbing my ears. Then a group of men swarmed the house and had both me and Ryan in their grasps. They tied both of us to chairs and hit us around a bit. After a few minutes they brought out a set of pliers and they…they…"Danny struggles to get the words out without the tears but has no success. "I had to just sit there and watch as they… as they pulled all of his teeth out. He was screaming and there was blood everywhere." Danny cries softly. "They then reached for a pistol and I screamed for them to take me and they wouldn't even glance at me. They put the gun to his head…" Danny begins shaking his head like he does when he's upset. 

"I got it McCoy, we can finish this up tomorrow." Hall says placing his hand on Danny's shoulder."

"NO! I want to finish this." Lt. McCoy says loudly. "Ryan sat in the chair limp and they untied him, throwing him on the floor like he was trash. They came over to me and went for my neck, they yanked my dog tags off my neck and then took Ryan's off too, but they replaced his with mine. A few minutes later they threw me in a truck and set the house on fire. 

Ed awakes suddenly to a loud knocking on his window. He looks to his right and sees an older man glaring at him. Ed starts his car and rolls down the window. "Can I help you sir?" Ed asks. 

"This isn't a napping ground sonny; you've been here for over three hours." The man says angrily. Ed looks to his watch and sighs. 

"I'm very sorry sir; time must have gotten away from me." Ed says starting to roll up his window. 

"You're here for McCoy aren't you?" The older man says just before the window is all the way up. Ed looks back at the man sharply and furrows his brow. "Yeah I thought so." The man says smiling. Ed rolls his window back down and shuts the car off. "Out of all my years here I don't think I have ever seen a grave visited as much as his is."

"How'd you know I was here for him?" Ed asks.

"Just a feeling." He says. "The names Cuilty, Herb Cuilty." The man says putting his hand out for Ed to shake. Ed puts his right arm out and shakes Herb's hand. 

"Ed Deline." Ed says smiling. 

"I know who you are Mr. Deline. You are a well known man." Ed gets out of his car now and stands in front of Herb. 

"So, a lot of people have been to visit him?" Ed asks. 

"Oh yes, I've never seen so many people visit one headstone."

"The next thing I remember I was in a dark room. I must have been there for a few days. Men would come in and ask me what I wanted with Achmed, but I wouldn't say anything. After a while I found a shard of glass and cut my hands free. I got a pistol and got out of there, I had a car and I had gotten my equipment back. I started to head back towards base camp, but after about a hundred miles I ran out of gas. I kept walking until I reached a small town. I was trying to look for another car, but then I saw Achmed and his men and I hid behind a building. I turned to leave and his men had already gotten to me. They took me into a building and then through this tunnel thing and they…well." Danny says pointing to his face and torso. "They asked me questions. They asked me a lot of questions, over and over. Questions like 'What did my government know about him' and 'what were we sent there to find out'. This went on for hours, what seemed like days. Then they heard the rescue team coming into the building and they rushed me down the fire escape. That's the last thing I remember."

Hall, by this time, is sitting in a chair next to Danny's bed. He looks down at his feet and takes in a deep breath. "One more question and then we are done for the day." Halls says looking back up. "Why don't you want us to inform your family that you are alive?"

Danny lets out a great sigh and sits up. He looks into his Captains eyes. "Because when I go out there to get this guy, if something goes wrong I don't want them to go through all of this again." Danny states. 

"whoa, whoa, whoa, you're not going out there. Look at you, you're a mess."

"THE HELL I'M NOT!" Danny yells back. "After everything that man has done to me, do you really think I'm going to let him get away with this?" Danny asks. "If it were you, would you just lay here and let him get away?" Hall shakes his head. "That's what I thought. Now look the swelling has gone down and will probably be better by tomorrow morning, I'm fine."

"Tomorrow morning? Son we aren't in Iraq, we're in Germany in an American hospital."

"So, we leave tomorrow morning for Iraq." Danny says shrugging his shoulders. 

"Lieutenant, you are not leaving this hospital anytime soon." Cpt. Hall states firmly. 

"Captain, with all due respect, I'm leaving this hospital tomorrow either with or without your help."

Captain Hall sighs deeply and looks to the floor then back up to Danny. "I'll talk to Dr. Robertson and see if she thinks you could leave tomorrow." 

"You can talk to her if you want, but regardless of what she says I'm still leaving." 

Captain Hall laughs. "We'll see, I'll go to talk to her and let you know what she says."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Authors Notes: **__**First of all, I just have to say that there is plenty of action coming up ahead. I have finished a few more chapters and they are pretty good especially chapter 10, if I do say so myself, lol. Second of all I can't believe they cancelled this great show! NBC is so stupid. It looks like we will never get a real ending. Now all we are left with is our FanFiction. Well I hope you enjoy the story, because thanks to NBC that's all we'll get from now on. **__**You should look forward to chapter 10!**__**  
**__**P.S**__** please read and review. **_

_**Chapter 8**_

"Well it was good talking to you sir, but it's getting late and I have to meet my wife for dinner."

"Oh I understand, I'll see you soon." He says shaking Ed's hand. Ed smiles back and gets in his car.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"I understand that sir, but the refrigerator is only three degrees off. I just don't see what the big deal is; we'll lower the temperature in the future." Delinda says, walking after the health inspector.

"Miss. Deline that's not the only violation that you had."

"Well what else is there?" She asks clearly annoyed.

"Your kitchen staff wasn't wearing their hair nets properly." He says now stopping and turning to look at her.

"It was one dish washer and he had the hair net on it just slipped up." She says now slightly yelling.

"I'm sorry Miss. Deline, but until you fix the problems and we find the time to send out another inspector, you'll have to close your restaurant."

"Well how long is that going to be?" She asks throwing her arms in the air.

"I don't know Miss. Deline, whenever they have the time." Delinda sighs heavily. "Good day." He says as he exits the restaurant.

Ed walks in looking around questioningly. "Aren't you guys supposed to be open?" He asks still looking around. Delinda shoves a piece of paper in her father's face as they sit down to the bar.

"The health inspector shut us down."

"What?" Ed says as he reads the paper.

"It's just all so ridiculous. The things he cited us for are so miniscule."

"Well, you have been a little distracted lately; maybe you just overlooked a few things." Ed says shrugging his shoulders.

"Daddy!" Delinda says outraged. "These things are ridiculous; you can even go check for yourself." Ed looks up from the paper and gets up to go check the accusations. "Though you shouldn't have to!" She 

calls after him.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Well? What did she say?" Danny asks as Cpt. Hall enters the room.

"Well, she wasn't very pleased with my request and she highly recommended that you stay for at least another week, but said if you absolutely had to leave tomorrow morning that it would be risky but possible."

"Good." Danny says sitting up.

"Lt, are you sure you want to leave in the morning? I mean you can wait a week and then go out after him."

"I've already been in here for a few days. God knows how far he's already gotten. I'm not going to let this creep get away." There's a short pause and Danny speaks again. "Have you called HQ and gotten any information?"

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with them before I came in here. They have a few satellite images of Achmed after he escaped from Cobra team. He went into a few buildings and now, from what they can tell, he's made his way to a camp about one hundred and fifty miles from where they found you."

"Sounds like he went back to the first place he had me. That's' good, that means its familiar territory." Danny says with a glazed look in his eyes. "How many men are you sending out with me?" Danny asks, now looking up at Hall.

"Three"

"Who?"

"Private Curtis, PFC Riplinger, and me."

"You? You haven't been out in the field in a while Captain are you sure you want to do this." Danny asks skeptically.

"You're one to be judging who should or shouldn't be out in the field." Cpt. Hall laughs. Danny smiles and nods his head. "Well you should get some rest. It's late and we have to leave in a few hours." Hall says as he stands up to leave the room.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"You're right, those violations are ridiculous." Ed says walking back to the bar.

"I told you, and you shouldn't have had to go and check."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"Aren't you supposed to be meeting mom for dinner?" She says looking to her watch.

Ed looks down to his watch quickly. "Crap!" He says jumping up from his seat. "I'll see you later honey I got to go or mom's going to kill me." Delinda laughs and looks back to the sheet of paper with the list of 

violations. After starring for a few more moments she gets an idea and takes her cell phone out dialing the number printed on the paper.

"United States department of health and human services, this is Judy, may I have your city and state." Comes a voice from the other end of the phone.

"Las Vegas, Nevada" Delinda speaks into the phone.

"Thank you; please hold while I transfer your call." Delinda sighs as she waits and listens to the music.

"Hello this Michael, what can I do for you today?"

"Yes, hi I'm sorry, but is there any way you can transfer me to Joey Rich's desk please. " Delinda asks pleadingly.

"One moment please."

"Hello this Joey, what may I do for you today?"

"Joey, this is Delinda Deline, we met at Danny McCoy's birthday last year."

"Oh, hey Delinda how are you?"

"I'm fine, listen Joey I'm having a bit of a problem down here at Mystique; do you think you can help me out?" Delinda asks politely

"We'll see, what seems to be the problem?" he asks cheerfully.

"Well one of your coworkers came down here today and shut us down because one of our refrigerators was two degrees off and one of our dishwashers' hair net wasn't over one of his ears." She says sarcastically.

"That seems a little harsh. Let me bring up your account and take a look."

"I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thinks this is ridiculous." She says letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah, that's all it says here too, I'll have a different inspector come out tomorrow morning and take a look. If he thinks you're clear you can open back up within the hour."

"Oh Joey, you're a life saver." Delinda says smiling. She hangs up the phone and smiles. "You're not even here anymore and you're still saving my ass." She says looking up, as if talking to Danny.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_**One day later:  
**__**12:00 pm Baghdad, Iraq  
1:00 am Las Vegas, Nevada**_

Danny steps out of the helicopter alongside Captain Hall. The two take their bags and walk towards a nearby tent. Danny lifts up the flap and allows Cpt. Hall to enter first. The two make their way inside and walk over to a large desk.

"Coronal, may we have a word?" Captain Halls asks, standing erect. The coronal turns around and smiles.

"At ease soldier." He says starting to stand up. "McCoy, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. After everything I've heard you sound to be an extraordinary young man."

"Thank you sir,"

"Now what can I do you for?"

"Sir, as you may have heard I am being deployed into the field with a team and we are here to ask permission to leave three hours ahead of schedule."

"What is the cause for the sudden change in departure time Lieutenant?"

"We are running ahead of schedule sir, and we are anxious to complete our mission."

"Well then, permission granted soldier and good luck."

"Thank you sir." Danny and Hall leave the tent silently and meet up with the rest of their team outside.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

RING…..RING…..RING….." Ed rolls over and slams his hand down on the night stand and picks up his cell phone. "Hello…" Ed answers groggily.

"Mr. D, it's Mike." Ed sighs deeply.

"Mike, this better be good if you're waking me up at…" Ed looks up at the alarm clock, "…at 1:15 in the morning."

"Ed it's Delinda…" Ed sits up quickly and turns the bedside lamp on.

"What, what's wrong?" He asks, his heart beating rapidly.

"She's fine, but she was staying at Danny's place and someone broke in while she was there."

"Where is she?" Ed asks now standing up and putting a pair of jeans on.

"She's still at Danny's I'm here with her and the police are here too."

"Ok, I'll be right over." Ed says hanging up the phone.

"What's the matter?" Jillian asks as she rolls over and looks at her husband.

"Someone just broke into Danny's place while Delinda was there. She's ok, but I'm going to head over there."

"Oh my God! I'm coming too." She says jumping out of bed.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mike hangs up the phone and wraps his arms around Delinda. "How you doing?" He asks.

Delinda continues to sob lightly and then wipes her eyes. "How did you get here so fast? I didn't even call you." She says sitting up to look him in the eyes.

"Danny's alarm system his hooked up to the Montecito. It alerted me in my office so I came over to check things out. I didn't even know you were here." Just then the police walk back in the room.

Mike stands up, "I'll be right back." He says looking at Delinda, then turning to walk over to the officers. "Well?"

"Mr. Cannon, we've swept the building and the outskirts of the parking garage. The only thing that we found is this." Officer Rodriguez says, handing Mike a framed picture of Danny and the gang at the company picnic a few years back.

"Thanks guys. I'll call you if I need anything." Mikes says walking them to the door. The officers leave and Mike walks back to the couch and sits down. "The cops found this down the hall." He says, passing the picture to her. She sits up again and looks at Mike confused.

"Out of all the expensive things here, why would they take a picture of Danny and us?" She says still looking over at Mike. Suddenly the door flies open, startling both Delinda and Mike.

"D…!" Ed calls walking briskly into the apartment, followed by Jillian. Delinda stands up and rushes to her father burying her head into his shoulder. Ed closes his eyes as he holds his daughter, thanking God that she's safe.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The four Marines walk over to the armory and load up on weapons, ammo, grenades, and all that good stuff. As they walk out and load the humvee up McCoy asks, "Do we still have a positive location on Achmed?"

"Yep" Captain Hall responds, while entering a magazine into his rifle.

"Then let's go get this bastard."  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine**_

"Are you ok? What happened?"Jillian asks coming in the room and pushing Ed aside to get to her daughter.

"I'm fine mom, really." Delinda says, not wanting to scare her mother anymore than she already had.

Ed walks over to Mike and shakes his hand. "Thanks for getting over here so quickly."

"Oh, it's no problem Mr. D. I'm just glad I could help."

"What'd the police say?"

"They swept the building and the parking garage. The only thing they found was a picture of Danny and us that the perps must have dropped." Mike says, still watching Delinda and her mother talking on the couch.

Ed looks over at Mike questioningly. "A picture? Why would they break in here and steal a picture?" Ed asks still very confused.

"That's what we said." The two stand there quietly for a moment. "Well I should get back to surveillance; I left Mitch in charge and his shift is over pretty soon." Mike says turning to face Ed.

"Ok well thanks again Mike." Ed says as he shakes Mike's hand. Mike smiles, walks over and hugs Delinda goodbye, and makes his way out of the apartment.  
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McCoy, Hall, Riplinger, and Curtis all sit in the humvee in an awkward silence as they drive toward their destination. Danny finally decides to break the ice. "So from what I hear Curtis, you're the one that found PFC Ryan."

"Yes sir." Curtis says, not quite knowing what else to say.

"I also heard that you volunteered to go out on this mission with us." Danny says looking at Curtis in the rearview mirror.

"Yes sir, I did."

"Why was that?"

"PFC Ryan was a good friend of mine, we went through boot camp together; and quite frankly sir, it makes me proud to serve with marines like you."

"Marines like me? I'm just like any of you guys." He says laughing.

"No sir, you're not. I know what you have been through this last year. Any other man would have given up long ago, but not you."

Danny sighs heavily, "Listen Curtis there have been marines that have done greater things than I have. I just want to go out and get this guy, for PFC Ryan and all the other marines that have died in this war."

"Uh-Rah, Lieutenant" Curtis chants.  
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Jillian stands in front of the stove making some tea while Ed and Delinda sit on the couch in the living room.

"Ok, start from the beginning." Ed says, looking his daughter in the eyes.

"I was sleeping, in Danny's room when I heard someone out in the living room. At first I just thought I had left the TV on, so I went to shut it off. I walked out and the TV wasn't on, there were two men rummaging through the boxes we had packed. They stopped when they saw me and through me down on the floor. They put a gun to my head and started screaming at me and asking questions that didn't make sense."

"What do you mean the questions didn't make sense?" Ed asks confused.

"They kept asking me about Danny. They kept screaming at me, asking where he was and when he was coming back." Ed furrows his brow in confusion.

"Well, no one ever said thieves were smart." He says laughing and hugging Delinda tightly. Jillian walks over and hands Delinda a cup of tea and sits down in the chair next to her.  
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_**Three Hours Later**_**  
5:00 pm Baghdad, Iraq  
6:00 am Las Vegas, Nevada **

Danny and his team advance towards the building stealthy. Captain Hall and Curtis make their way towards the back door while Riplinger and McCoy charge the front door. Danny kicks the door down while Riplinger sweeps in and clears the room. She raises her hand indicating that the room is clear. Hall and Curtis come in from the kitchen and trail their fellow marines up the stairs. The four come up the stairs into a loft and look around seeing nothing but old papers and an unused desk. Then their eyes land on a door behind the desk. Captain hall moves over to it, and silently puts his head to the door to listen for any sign of Achmed. When he hears some voices he looks back at his team and nods his head. He backs up and kicks the door down with all his might, and quickly moves away to let his team penetrate the room. McCoy charges the room, guns blazing. He takes a quarter of a second to be sure that the man he is going to shoot isn't Achmed.

The four look around now to see ten men dead on the floor. Danny furrows his brow and takes a double take, making sure they didn't kill the man they are after.

"Under the desk!" Curtis shouts raising his rifle.

"Hold your fire!" McCoy screams. "ACHMED COME OUT! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME GOD I'LL PUT A BULLET IN YOUR HEAD!" McCoy shrieks. Achmed puts his hands up in the air and stands up.

Riplinger walks over to him and pats him down. "He's clean." She says looking over to Danny.  
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Delinda walks out into the living room and smiles at the scene in front of her. Her mother lies fast asleep on the couch with a pillow and a blanket; while her father lies on the floor next to the couch sleeping, uncomfortably. She moves quietly about the kitchen, getting all the needs to make her morning cup of coffee. As the coffee begins to brew the aroma travels over to Ed and he begins to stir. He sits up and looks around, spotting Delinda in the kitchen. He stands up and walks over to the kitchen and takes a seat at the bar.

"You're up early." He says as he rubs his eyes. Delinda nods her head as she pulls two mugs out of the cupboard. She pours them each a glass and hands her father two aspirin. "What's this for?"

"Your back, it's going to be sore after sleeping on that floor all night." She says just before taking a big swig of her coffee. Ed smiles at his daughter and takes the pills.

"How are you doing?"

"Better than I was last night. I just keep replaying everything over in my head." Ed nods his head in understanding.  
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McCoy hands his rifle to Riplinger as he walks over to Achmed. "Get the chair!" Danny commands to Curtis. Curtis does as he's told and moves forward, picking the chair up and placing it next to Achmed. "Sit down." Danny says calmly looking Achmed square in the eye. Achmed stands still, not moving an inch. "I said sit down!" McCoy says, now raising his voice. Achmed continues not to move. McCoy laughs slightly and shoves him down into the chair. He paces back and forth a few times before finally stopping, standing directly in front of the man that has caused him so much pain.

"I have dreamt of this moment for the last month. I have imagined what I would do once I got my hands on you. I dreamt of how I could inflict as much pain on you as possible; but as I was doing all of this thinking my thoughts wondered. Where did they wonder to you ask, well thank you for asking I'll tell you. I got to thinking about how stupid you are. You see, after all of the physical pain that you put me through there's no doubt in my mind that I would come after you. The thing that gets me though…" McCoy smiles and laughs faintly. "…the thing that gets me is that you volunteered the information that you had both my fiancé and my father killed. Now that I know that information I can't just take you back to my people and let you rot in jail. Then how could you possibly know the pain that I have been through?" McCoy stops his pacing now and stops, once again, in front of Achmed. "You see Mr. Laden, I used to be a firm believer in that old saying 'An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind' and out of respect for that saying I'm not going to touch your family. I don't believe in making them pay for your 

sins. No, what I am going to do his not going to leave this world blind, what I am going to do may leave you blind, but then again I'd just be doing you a favor. Then you wouldn't have to wake up every morning and see your hideous face looking back at you in the mirror."  
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Mike walks the casino floor, taking notice of his surroundings. A huge smile appears on his face as his eyes land on Nessa. He stands still for a moment, watching her move as she never takes her eyes off the tables. Just for a second she looks up and sees Mikes watching her. She smiles brightly and goes back to work. Mike walks over to her slowly and makes conversation. "Anything?"

"No, it's pretty quiet."

"So, how about dinner again tonight?" Mike asks smiling.

"Are you trying to fatten me up? We've gone out every night this week."

Mike laughs softly. "Fine then how about this, I'll cook dinner."

"You can cook?" she asks skeptically.

"I'll take that as a yes. I'll be at your house by six."  
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Danny picks Achmed's right hand up and places it on the desk beside them. McCoy looks over to Hall quickly. Hall walks over and begins to take hold of them mans arm, causing them to become immobile.

McCoy takes his knife out of his pocket and waves it in front of Achmed's face. Achmed begins to struggle furiously but has no success at escaping. Danny raises his knife and brings it down hard, slicing the man's right index finger off with extreme ease. "Now try to shoot at me you son of a bitch!" McCoy screams. Achmed continues to scream, shaking his head frantically "And this is for PFC Ryan." Danny says taking a pair of pliers from Curtis. "Riplinger, hold his head." McCoy commands. She walks forward and forcefully pulls Achmed's head back.  
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Ed and Delinda sit at the kitchen table talking, while Jillian is in the bathroom getting ready to go. "Ok I'm ready." She says walking out into the kitchen. Ed sighs and gets up from the table. "What was that?" Jillian asks starring at Ed.

"What was what?" Ed asks innocently.

"You know what." She says now glaring at him.

"What? Nothing, it was nothing." He says in a high pitched voice and raising his shoulders.

"Uh huh." She says still glaring. "Goodbye sweetie." Jillian says now moving towards Delinda for a hug.

"Bye mom, bye dad." She says hugging them both.  
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Danny hits Achmed a few more times in the face. "Sir, it's time to go." Riplinger says stepping forward. McCoy turns around and nods his head.

"Get up!" McCoy shouts, looking back at an almost unconscious Achmed. The man continues to sit in the chair, finding it difficult to keep his head up. "I said get up!" Danny screams, pulling the man up by his shirt collar and letting him go. Achmed falls to the floor hard. "Oh come on, you haven't even begun to feel pain." He says picking him up off the floor. Laden stands up right now, wobbling slightly. "Let's move out men." Danny commands. Riplinger and Curtis help Achmed walk, while McCoy and Hall walk down the hallway towards the stairs. McCoy picks up his radio and calls into the base team. "Base team, this bravo team, do you come in, over?

"Bravo team, you're talking to angel six, we come in over."

"We have the package and we need an extraction point."

"That's a negative bravo team, we have sightings of too many tangos in your area, you're going to need to find another way out. Request for extraction point denied."

Danny sighs heavily lowers his head. "Ok angel six, this is bravo team, over and out." McCoy lowers his radio and puts it back in his pocket. "It looks like we are going out the same way we came in." McCoy says turning to face his men. "Ok, we can't bring the humvee in here, because we'll risk too many people seeing us. I think the best bet is to make it as far out towards the humvee as we can. If worse comes worse two of us will go get it and come back for the rest of us." Danny says looking to each of his men. "What do you think Captain?" McCoy asks, not turning to look at Captain Hall.

"Sounds good; let's go." He says moving towards the door.

"Wait a minute." McCoy commands. "I need a bandana or something." Curtis pulls one out of his leg pocket and hands it to Danny. McCoy then takes the bandana and ties it around Achmed's head, gagging his mouth. "Ok lets go."  
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Ed briskly walks into his house leaving Jillian a few yards back.

"Where are you running off to?" Jillian calls to him irritably.

"I have some work to do; I'll be done in fifteen minutes." He calls back to her before shutting his office door. Jillian lets out a loud sigh and makes her way into the kitchen.

Ed sits down at his desk and opens up his laptop. He types in a few keys and then reaches for his phone. "Ron, it's Deline. What's going on?" He asks impatiently.

"What do you mean, what's going on?" The man asks in a denying tone.

"Don't play that game with me Marleau!" Ed shouts into the phone. "What's going on with McCoy? His apartment was broken into last night, and now I try to access his file and it's sealed. What the hell is going on?"  
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	10. Chapter 10

_**Author Notes:**_** This is the start of the drama you have been waiting for. I hope you enjoy. Please read and review, I would really appreciate it. **

_**Chapter Ten**_

"I asked you a question, damn-it!" Ed yells again.

"I heard you Ed." Ron Marleau replies.

"Then answer me."

"I can't"

"You can't, what do you mean you can't?"

"I'm sorry Ed, but this order came from upstairs."

"How far upstairs?" Ed asks, now clenching his jaw.

"I don't know Ed; you know I would help you if I could."

"Yeah uh huh." Ed says as he hangs up the phone. He places his head in his hands not quite knowing what to do at this point. Suddenly he lifts his head and picks his phone up again. He hears the phone ring twice before it picks up.

"Ahh Ed, I thought I'd be hearing from you. What took you so long?"  
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McCoy and his men continue to, discreetly, make their way towards the humvee. They stop as they reach the outskirts of town; Danny looks back at Achmed quickly. "What are you laughing about?" McCoy barks, glaring at the man. Achmed starts to laugh harder as he looks at Danny. McCoy walks over and shoves him against a wall of an old building. He takes the gag out of his mouth and puts his forearm to Achmed's neck. "What's so funny?" McCoy asks, trying his best not to kill the man.

"I just think that it's hysterical that you are doing all of this to pay me back and in one short hour you won't have any family left." He laughs.

Danny's stomach flips upside down and ties itself in knots. A look of anger flashes across Danny's face and he tightens his grip around Achmed's neck. "What are you talking about!" McCoy screams.

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Delinda takes her letter from Danny out of her purse and rereads it.

_I love you Delinda Deline and don't ever forget or doubt that. Know that I will never leave you; I will always be with you, watching over you, and guiding you through the tough times. Goodbye, D._

_Love your man  
Danny McCoy_

She places the letter back in the envelope and wipes a few tears from her cheek. Delinda stands up and looks around the room and sees the boxes that the burglars had torn through. She sighs deeply and walks over to them, picking up the things that had been thrown out.

She stops suddenly when she sees one of the items lying on the floor. Her brow furrows as she eyes the unfamiliar envelope, "I don't remember packing this." She states, thinking out loud. Opening the envelope she peers inside and takes the contents out. Her eyes widen with every picture that is exposed.

Delinda drops the photos to the floor and brings her hand to her mouth. She stands up while her heart skips a beat and her stomach flips over. She walks backwards, runs into the wall, and slides down.  
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"What the Hell Lennox?" Ed barks angrily.

"Oh come on Ed, is that how you greet an old buddy?"

"You're no friend of mine Lennox! Now tell me what you've done to Danny."

"I was wondering how long it would take you to put the pieces together. Well I guess you haven't otherwise you wouldn't be calling me."

"Cut the crap Lennox, what's going on?" Ed yells, now standing up from his desk.

"Try shutting up and I'll tell you." Lennox growls, clearly irritated. "The first time McCoy was deployed he was handpicked by the agency to take care of a sensitive detail. We have had our eye on him for some time now, but I'm sure you are aware of that."

"Cut to the chase, Lennox!" Ed bellows.

"Patience Eddie, patience. Anyway, we had McCoy discharged because we thought we had the situation dealt with."

"Not mention the hell that he went through." Ed adds.

"You know that's not how the company works Eddie." Lennox laughs. Ed clenches his jaw, trying his best to bite his tongue. "Once we realized that our…issue…had resurfaced it was necessary to bring McCoy back into the field."

"So, so far the only explanation that I can think of for having his file sealed is that you guys screwed up and are afraid to admit it."

"You always did like to blame other people, didn't you Ed? No you see, this isn't our fault."

Ed rolls his eyes and sits back down at his desk. "Then whose fault is it?"

"We can't talk about this over the phone. Be here in twenty-four hours for the briefing."

"Briefing?"

"Yes, Ed. You haven't been out that long; I would assume you still know what a briefing is."

"Be where? You want me to fly to Langley? Are you sniffing glue?"

"Be here in twenty-four hours." Lennox says calmly, before hanging up the phone.

Ed takes the phone away from his ear and looks at it confusingly. "What the hell is going on?" the older man makes his way towards the door but stops suddenly when his cell phone rings again. He sighs deeply and looks to the floor. "Hello?" he says answering his phone.

"Daddy it's me." Delinda cries through the phone.

"Delinda? What's wrong honey? What's going on?" Ed asks as his heart skips a beat.

"I don't know, something's not right." She says trying to gain some composure. "I'm fine, I just need you to come over to Danny's, and don't tell mom."

"I'll be right there, don't move." Ed says hanging up the phone, as he practically sprints to the front door. "Jillian, I have to go out. I'll be back in an hour."

Jillian comes walking out of the kitchen looking confused. "Why, where are you going?"

"I'm sorry honey there's an emergency at the casino. I won't be more than an hour I promise." He says running out the door.

Jillian rolls her eyes and walks back into the kitchen. "I've heard that before."  
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"ANSWER ME GOD-DAMMIT!" Danny screams.

Achmed smiles, "Originally, it was just to get you to come after me, but this is just an added bonus. You came after me and you lose your family." He laughs.

Danny lets him go and backs up, his head in a fog. He turns around and grabs the phone off Curtis' back. "Curtis I need you to patch me a call in to the states." McCoy commands.

"Lieutenant, we're not allowed to do that, it's against procedure."

"Damn-it Curtis, just do it!" McCoy yells.

"No sir, I'm not going to court marshaled for this."

Danny walks towards him, ready to inflict some pain. "I'll do it Lt." Riplinger says, pushing Curtis aside. She types in a few keys and looks up to McCoy. "What's the number?" she asks.

"7-0-2-5-5-5-4-9-9-4" he says smiling just at the thought of talking to him.

"It should be ringing." She says looking back up at Danny.

Danny listens intently then nods his head.

"Hello?" Ed answers, while driving over to Danny's apartment. Danny hears his mentor's voice and a tear flows down the side of his cheek.

"Ed listen to me very carefully, you need to evacuate the hotel and casino. Get one of the Montecito's Escalades and get Mike, Nessa, Sam, Delinda and Jillian and just drive. Don't use your credit cards only cash. Get out of Vegas!"

"Who is this?" Ed asks, not believing his ears. "It's you isn't it?"

"You have to hurry it up Lt. fifteen seconds." Riplinger says looking over to Danny.

"Ed, just do what I told you and I'll call you with further instructions." Danny says curtly and hangs up the phone. He wipes a few tears from his face and turns to Achmed. The feeling of sorrow he felt quickly disappears and is replaced with hatred. "I swear on my mother's grave, if anything happens to them I will kill you with my bare hands."

"Don't forget your father's grave, and Mary's too." Achmed laughs. Danny punches him hard in the jaw, causing the man to fall to the ground.

"McCoy we have to get going."Hall says walking over to Danny and placing his hand on his shoulder. Danny nods his head and throws Achmed back up against the wall.

"Gag him." McCoy commands, "Or are you afraid of being court marshaled for that too?" Danny sneers, looking over at Curtis. Curtis looks down at his feet and dose as he's told.  
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"Mike!" Ed yells into the phone, as he drives as fast as he can over to Danny's.

"Mr. D?"

"Mike, I need you to evacuate the hotel and casino, get everyone out."

"What?" Mike asks, as he starts freaking out.

"Just do it! Then you need to get one of the Escalades, get Sam and Nessa and meet me at the place where we all gathered that night after Danny's funeral." Ed hangs up the phone and begins to dial Delinda's number.  
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"Mr. D?" Mike asks one more time into the phone, and then realizes that he is no longer there. He runs over to the computer and types in a few keys, just then, as expected, the fire alarms go off.

"Mike, we have multiple fire alarms going off."

"It's all of them, I need you to evacuate the casino and don't let anyone back in until you hear from me. You got it?" Mike asks yelling at him.

"Ya I got it"

"And call down to Nessa and Sam and tell them to meet me in the back parking garage now. Tell them to drop whatever they're doing and go!" Mike yells, as he runs out of the surveillance room.

Mitch picks up the phone and calls down to the girls, "Let's move people!" he shouts. "Nessa its Mitch, you need to find Sam and meet Mike at the back parking garage."

"Mitch what's going on?"

"I don't know, but Mike was very clear that you and Sam had to get out of the casino now."  
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"Delinda,…" Ed shouts into the phone as he runs a red light.

"Daddy," she says getting worried. "What's wrong?"

"Delinda, get down to the lobby and bring whatever it was that you wanted to show me. And call your mother and tell her to pack a bag, we're coming to pick her up. Be sure to tell her we're in a hurry and not to leave the house."  
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"Sam!" Nessa screams across the chaotic casino floor. "Sam!" She yells again, this time getting the feisty brunettes attention. Sam swings around with her cell phone up to her ear.

"Ness, what the hell is going on?" she asks, now hanging up her phone.

"I don't know, but something's wrong. We have to get out of here now and meet Mike in the parking garage."

"No, no I need to check in with me whales."

"Sam I don't think you are hearing me. We have to get out of here, NOW!" Nessa says as she grabs Sam's arm and drags her through the crowd."

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"Mom, you need to pack you and daddy a bag. We are coming to get you. Something's wrong, he just called me in a panic. Do not leave the house; we are coming to get you." Delinda says all in one breath, not even allowing her mom to say hello.

"I'm already packed. I keep a bag packed just in case. How long until you get here?"

"I don't know, five minutes. I have to go. I love you." Delinda hangs up the phone and throws the pictures back into the envelope. On her way out the door she grabs her purse and cell phone charger, then runs to the elevator.

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"Mike?" Nessa shouts as she sees him standing by the escalade. Mike begins to walk towards the girls and wraps his arms tightly around Nessa, not wanting to let her go.

"What the hell is going on?" Sam asks, clearly irritated that she's not informed.

"I don't know get in the truck." He says letting Nessa go and walking over to the driver's side. The three climb into the truck and tear out of the parking garage. "All I know is Ed called me in a panic and told me to evacuate the entire hotel and to get you girls out of here, in one of the Montecito escalades."

Nessa lets out a deep sigh, "What's the rendezvous point?" she asks calmly.

"The cemetery."  
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Delinda walks out of the building and jumps into her father's truck. "It's him isn't it?" she says looking over to her father, tears streaming down her face. Ed looks over to her as he pulls out of the parking garage and nods his head. "He's alive?" Ed again nods his head. Delinda smiles as more tears flood her face.  
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McCoy and his men load up in the humvee and head towards base camp.

"Angel six, this bravo team; do you come in, over?" Curtis says, talking into the phone.

"Bravo team, this is angel six we read you loud and clear." Curtis hands the phone to McCoy.

"Angel six this is Snow rider we have a situation. We have the package, but he has disclosed information that he has a target out on six innocent civilians back in the states, possibly taking out thousands in the process."

"What's the location Snow Rider?"

"Las Vegas, Nevada I think at the Montecito resort and casino. We have to get some CTU agents in there now! "  
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	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

Ed and Delinda pull up in front of the house and honk twice, but Jillian is already on her way out. She swings open the car door and throws two bags in then climbs in herself. "Did you bring the cash?" Ed asks making a u-turn and heading back towards the main roads.

"Yeah." She says as she takes her cell phone out.

"How much?"

"All of it." She says now dialing Nessa's cell number. "It sounded serious."

Ed smiles and looks back at his wife. "That's my girl."

Jillian smiles back, "are you there?" she asks Nessa not evening allowing her daughter to answer the phone.

"We're pulling in right now, how long for you guys?"

"Five minutes."

"ok see you then." Nessa hangs up the phone and looks over to Mike.

"Obviously this has happened to you before." Sam says leaning up between the front two seats.

"A few times." She says looking out the window.

"Now what?" Sam asks throwing her arms up in the air.

"Now we run."  
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"What's going on?" Jillian asks now looking at her husband.

"I don't know yet. I got a call telling me to get me and my family out of Vegas for a while."

"What aren't you telling me Eddie?" She says now leaning between the two front seats.

"I don't want to tell you until I know for sure what's going on." He says not taking his eyes off the road.

Jillian sighs heavily and leans back. "ok." Knowing that her husband is only trying to protect her she lets it go at that.

"I love you." He says now looking back at her.

"I know, I love you too." As the words leave her mouth they pull into the cemetery parking lot and pull up beside the escalade.

"We're switching cars." Ed says opening his car door and stepping out. The three get into the escalade and sit the silently for a moment. Mike is in the driver's seat, Ed's in the front passenger seat, Jillian and Delinda sit in the second row, while Nessa and Sam sit in the third. Ed sits and stares at the headstone out in front of him with Danny McCoy's name on it.

"Where to, Mr. D?"

Without looking away from the headstone Ed replies, "Get on the 515 and drive towards 93."  
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McCoy and his men ride in the humvee back towards their base camp. Danny sits in the front passenger seat while Cpt. Hall drives. He stares out the window, his stomach in knots, praying to God that his family is ok. "Riplinger, can we risk another call back to the states?" He now asks looking back at her in the rear seat.

Riplinger shakes her head, "They probably saw the last call going out, we can't risk them tracing this one."

Danny lets out a heavy sigh, and looks over to Hall. "How much longer until we reach camp?"

"About fifteen minutes." He replies as he glances at his watch.

Danny hits the car door in frustration. "Well step on it, will ya? There's no speed limit."  
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The six members of Danny's family sit in silence as they drive to an unknown location. "Where are we headed?" Mike asks quietly, looking over at his boss.

Ed stares out the window and replies, "an old friend's house."

Mike laughs slightly, "and where might that be?"

"Gilroy, California."

"And what are we going to do there? What are we even doing? Why are we running? What are we running away from?" Sam shouts from the back of the truck.

Ed sighs and rolls his eyes. "Not now Sam." He says dismissing her.

"No, not this time Ed, you can't tell me to get in a car and disappear for days on end and not tell me what's going on."

"Oh yes I can." Ed says looking back at her smiling.

"Damn-it Ed!" She shouts once more. Ed begins to frown now, giving her that look telling her to drop it. She sighs and leans back in her seat and crosses her arms pouting.

Ed looks down at his belt as he feels his cell phone vibrating. He then takes the phone and presses the ignore button. The former CIA agent turns around in his seat to face the four women, "I need your cell phones." He says extending his hand out to them. Nessa, Delinda, and 

Jillian promptly hand over their phones, knowing that it's for their own safety. Sam on the other hand clenches on to hers tightly.

"I'm not giving you my phone, I have million dollar clients back there who are really pissed that they have been thrown out of their hotel and that their casino host has run out on them. I'm not giving you anything."

"Oh give him the bloody phone." Nessa says disgustingly as she grabs the phone from Sam's hands and passes it up to Ed.

"Hey!" Sam squeals.

Ed smiles back at his daughter, "thank you very much." He says taking all the phones and powering them off, then taking the battery out of them. He looks over to Mike, "you too."

Mike hands over his phone and continues driving.  
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McCoy and his men pull in through the large gates of their camp. McCoy jumps out of the car before it even comes to a stop and runs full speed over to the HQ tent. He sprints in and begins to shout, "I need a secure line now."

General Macalester comes walking over to Danny. "What's going on?"

"I don't have time to explain, but I need a secure line now, please sir." Danny pleads.

Macalester looks over to one of his men and nods his head. Danny walks over briskly and begins to dial the number.

Ed looks down at his phone again and his heart begins to race. "Pull over!" Ed commands.

"Mr. D there's nowhere to pull over." Mike explains.

"I said pull over!" He screams. Mike does as he's told and swerves into the next lane and gets off the freeway. He pulls into a parking lot and Ed jumps out. "Hello?" He answers, feeling his stomach twist in knots.

"Ed, are you alright? Did you get Mike and the girls?" Danny asks, trying his best not lose his head.

"Jesus Christ, it really is you." Ed says as he leans up against a wall and slides to the ground, letting a tear escape from his eye. "They are all fine, I got them all out."

Danny lets out a huge sigh of relief and collapses into a nearby chair.

"What's going on Danny?" Ed asks lifting his head up out of his hands.

"I can't explain everything right now, but obviously someone was after me. I have him in custody now but he already had the hit out on you guys. You have to get out of Vegas now..."

"We already are." Ed says stopping him.

"Good, now just one more thing. Can I talk to Delinda?"

Ed smiles widely and stands up waving to the car. "Sure kid, hold on a minute." Mike rolls down the window, "Dee!" Ed shouts over to them. "Hey Danny…" Ed says into the phone.

"Yeah?"

"I'm proud of you son." He says sincerely.

Danny smiles and looks to the floor. "Thank you sir."

Ed hands the phone to Delinda as she walks up to him. "Is it him?" she asks calmly. Ed nods his head and she begins to cry. "Danny is it you?" she asks clutching the phone tightly.

"It's me baby, it's me." He says smiling, letting a few tears roll down his face.

"I knew it; I just knew you were alive. I miss you so much you need to come home."

"I know baby, I'll come home as soon as I can."

"You promise?"

"I promise, I have to go now but I'll call you just as soon as I can, ok?"

"Ok." She says trying to control her tears.

"I love you Delinda Deline."

"I love you too Danny McCoy." She says, starting to lose it again. And just like that the phone call is over. She looks to the phone and shuts it. She turns to face her father and he wraps his arms around her. Delinda buries her head in the crook of her father's neck and sobs. "He's alive." She says simply as she pulls away.

Ed grins, "I know." Delinda smiles back at him and they walk back to the car, grinning all the way.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Danny sets the phone down and wipes a few tears from his cheek. He turns to exit the tent, but stops as his men escort Achmed in. The feeling of joy that had consumed him while he was talking to Ed and Delinda quickly vanish at the site of the man that had ruined his life. McCoy walks over to the man calmly; he stands and inch away from his face, trying his best not to shoot him right then and there.

"You will call the hit off on my family or so help me god I will kill yours." He says, now wrapping his hand around Achmed's neck.

The man begins to smile, "I thought you didn't believe in revenge?"

Danny laughs, "I said I didn't believe in making your family pay for your sins; but if it comes down to my family or yours, so help me god it's not going to be mine." He says through gritted teeth.

A look of fear washes over Achmed as he realizes that McCoy isn't playing around.

"Now, would you like to make that phone call?" Danny asks as he tightens his grip. Achmed nods his head yes and Danny lets go.

Curtis and Riplinger walk the man over to a chair and shove him down. McCoy places a pair of headphones around his ears and nods, indicating for Achmed to pick up the phone. He does as he's told and begins to dial, the phone rings, "Hello?" a man answers.

"It is me, I need to call off the hit on McCoy's family."

"but we are so close…"

"I said call it off!" Achmed yells.

"Sir with all due respect…"

"I said cancel it! McCoy is even dumber than I anticipated; he came crawling back to me before he even knew his family was in danger. I have him now and that's all I need. So call the hit off!" he again screams.

"Yes, sir." The man replies.

"I will call back in an hour to confirm that the hit has been canceled; don't screw it up."

"Yes, sir." The man again replies.

Achmed hangs up the phone and looks to Danny for a sign of satisfaction. McCoy continues to scowl and strides over to him. He bends down so that he is now at eye level with the man who, single handedly, devastated his life.

"That was pretty good. Ever thought about taking up acting? Well actually I think you missed that boat because they don't have many plays in prison. Oh well, you get to play the role of 'Prison Bitch' for the rest of your life. How does that sound?" Danny says smiling. Suddenly he grabs Achmed by the collar and pulls him in close so that only he can hear, "if anything ever happens to my family I will come after you, then I will go after your family and kill each and every one of them while you sit and watch." He whispers, then throws Achmed back, "You catching my drift?" Achmed nods his head in defeat.

"Curtis, Riplinger…" Danny calls. The two walk to his side. "Get this dirt bag out of my site." He commands. They pick Achmed up by each arm and drag him out of the tent. Danny turns to face Captain Hall. "Can you go with them, just to make sure everything goes smoothly?" Hall smiles and nods his head.

"McCoy! My office!" Macalester shouts. Danny turns abruptly and follows Mac into his office.

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"Permission denied, take a seat soldier!" He yells as he shuts the tent flap to his office. "I don't know who think you are strolling into my headquarters and ordering people around, especially after that stunt you just pulled!" He screams while writing on a piece of paper. Danny sits and listens knowing that he's not going to get anywhere by back talking. Macalester slides the piece of paper over to Danny.

I have to make an example out of you…play along.

Danny looks back up and smiles. "Soldier if you think for one minute that you are going to change my mind you are sadly mistaken. The only thing that I have changed my mind about is keeping you here. Clearly you can't fallow orders, now get of my office before I do something that I'll regret." Macalester barks, making sure that everyone else can hear him. McCoy stands up and shakes his hand, mouthing the words, 'thank you'. Mac just nods his head and waves McCoy out of the office.

Danny puts on his best grimace face and throws open the tent flap leading into the rest of HQ tent and storms out.  
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	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Notes: **__**This is the chapter where the gang discovers that Mr. Danny McCoy is alive! Though it will be a few chapters before they **__**all**__** get together since Danny still has to find out who is really behind all of this chaos and take care of it. **__**I really appreciate your reviews, they encourage me to post a new chapter. **__** Thanks again for reading. **_

_**Chapter 12**_

"Now how come they get to use a phone?" Sam asks as Ed and Delinda walk back to the car.

"Oh shut up." Nessa says in an annoyed tone. Ed opens the door and stares at them all silently.

"Get out of car." Jillian says looking to the three behind her.

"What, why?" Sam asks looking around, obviously confused.

"He has something to tell us, get out of the car." Jillian says, slightly yelling. Sam raises her eyebrows and climbs out of the back seat. Ed smiles at his wife and hugs her tightly. Ed, Jillian, and Delinda stand in front of their three good friends not quite knowing what to say.

"Umm, well…I don't know all the answers, so whatever questions you have for me after I tell you this I probably won't be able to answer. I got a phone call today…"

"Oh my God!" Jillian gasps, bringing her hand to her mouth as she puts the pieces together. "It's him." She says turning to Ed and Delinda, tears streaming down her face. Delinda smiles and begins to shed tears of happiness. Mike, Nessa, and Sam look at them, still confused.

"Danny….Danny's alive." Ed says with a huge smile spreading across his face.  
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McCoy dashes to his tent and grabs his belongings, throwing them all in his duffle bag as fast as he can. After double checking that he has everything he leaves the tent and walks over to his men who are waiting for him at the airstrip. He comes to Riplinger first and smiles, "Thank you, for everything. If you are ever in Vegas look me up."

"I will, good luck Lieutenant." She says hugging him tightly. Danny lets go and moves on to Curtis.

"Lt. I…" Cutis starts.

"Don't worry about it Curtis, no hard feelings. It was a stressful situation." He says waving it off. "if you ever need anything…"

"Thank you Lieutenant." He says as he salutes. Danny now moves down to Captain Hall.

"Captain…thank you for putting up with me. No one else would have let me do what I needed to do. If you ever need anything…"

"Actually, can you give this to my wife?" he says handing Danny an envelope. "She lives out in Henderson. "

"I will." Danny salutes his captain and walks towards the chopper that is waiting for him. He stops and turns around, "Captain, make sure that bastard gets what he deserves." He shouts over the sound of the roaring engine.

Captain Hall smiles, "I will." He shouts back. Danny turns back around and boards the chopper.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"What, how, when is he coming home?" Mike asks with a huge smile on his face.

"Like I said I don't have a lot of answers at the moment. All I know is that someone was after Danny and came after us to get to him. They have the man in custody now and Danny's taking care of it."

"Well why were we told that he was dead?" Nessa asks plainly.

"I don't know, maybe he tried to protect us…like I said I don't have a lot of answers. I tried calling in to get his file because I suspected something was up when Danny's apartment was broken into, but his file was sealed. I was headed over to meet Delinda at the apartment because she found something, but on my way there he called. He wouldn't even tell me that it was him, just told me to get you guys out of there."

"Well what was it that you found?" Jillian asks looking over towards Delinda. Delinda lets out a heavy sigh and reaches for something in the truck. She pulls out a large envelope and hands it to her father.

She moves closer to him and whispers in his ear, "I don't think they should see these." She then steps back and her father looks at her with concern.

He opens the envelope and takes out a stack of 8x10 photos. He begins to look through them, the first few are pictures of the six of them throughout the last couple of days, obviously they didn't know they were being photographed. There's a few of Ed entering his house, some of Delinda in Danny's apartment that had been taken from and adjacent apartment building, a few of Mike and Nessa going out to dinner, and some of Sam getting in her car. Ed sighs in frustration, as he continues to browse through the pictures.

As he flips to the next picture he freezes. His heart sinks and he feels like he's going to puke. He flips to another picture of Danny being tortured and just stares for a moment. Danny sits tied to a chair, his mouth open, screaming in agony, as he is being electrocuted. Ed flips to another, Achmed shoving a knife under Danny's fingernails.

Ed shoves the pictures back in the envelope and turns around, his back towards his family, trying to keep the tears from coming. Suddenly he snaps his head up, remembering his conversation with Lennox. He turns around and looks at Jillian. "I need the satellite phone." Jillian takes a few steps towards the truck and grabs the phone out of the bag. Ed takes it from her hand, pulls the antenna up, and punches in a few numbers. He then takes a few steps away from the group and hears Lennox pick up.

"Hello." Lennox answers.

"Jesus Christ Lennox!" Ed screams.

"I knew it wouldn't take long for you to put the pieces together."

"Put the pieces together? Your operative gave you up, he screwed up!" Ed yells into the phone.

Jillian turns around to the four young adults standing behind her. "Mike." She says, calling him out of his trance. "Pop the hood." Mike walks around the front end of the car and pulls the lever on the driver's side. The hood pops up and Jillian lifts it.

Mike walks to her side, "what are you doing Mrs. D?" He asks.

"All cars, after 9/11, were required to have GPS trackers built in them." She says reaching to the right side of the car and unscrewing a little black box, "we won't have GPS anymore, but at least they won't be able to track us."  
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"What do you mean 'our operative'?" Lennox asks.

"Let's just say your boy left something behind."

"Ed, McCoy is working for us, what exactly do you think it is that we did?"

"I think Danny was on to whatever you were up to and you tried to take him out. He got away so you came after us to get him to come in." Ed yells.

Lennox laughs, "Ed, why don't you get the facts straight before you call me with your conspiracy theories."

"Fine, you want to play like that? That's fine, I've been playing this game a lot longer than you have. Just hear this, if anything happens to Danny or my family, I will kill you." Ed spits through gritted teeth; Lennox laughs again. "I know where you live, I know your aliases, and I know where your family lives. Just keep that in mind." Ed says just before hanging up the phone.

Nessa, Sam, and Delinda lean up against truck, watching Ed. As he turns around to walk back to the truck he sees the girls starring at him. The girls quickly move, pretending to do something important.  
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Danny pulls a satellite phone out of his bag as he waits for the pilot to board. He dials Ed's cell number and waits for him to pick up.

"Hello?" Ed answers.

"Ed it's me."

"Hey buddy; do you remember when you left I told you that if you ever got in trouble to call that number?"

"Yeah."

"Call it now." Ed says hanging up the phone. Danny hangs up and dials the number Ed made him memorize. It rings once and Ed picks up. "Sorry, I couldn't risk them tracing my cell."

"Trace…who? It's all over, you can go home now."

Ed furrows his brow, "Langley, I think they are involved."

"Ed, it was Achmed." Danny says still confused. "I got him, and I had him call off the hit. You can go home."

"Danny, where are you?"

"I'm on a helicopter, waiting to take off, I'm coming home."

"Who's with you?"

"Just…" Danny stops, starting to put the pieces together.

"Danny get out! Get out now!" Ed screams. Danny's eyes widen. He jumps up, grabs his bag and runs. He runs as fast as he can back to HQ tent. He's still a hundred yards away from the tent when he's thrown to the ground by the impact of the explosion occurring behind him. He falls to his face and crawls a few feet further. He looks around, a little disoriented, and picks up the phone. "Danny! Danny!" Ed yells. His family stops what they're doing and begins to stare. "Danny?" Ed yells again, this time his voice choking up a little.

Danny picks the phone up and brings it to his ear. "Ed?" He says.

Ed smiles, "Are you ok? What's going on?" Danny continues to sit on the ground, starring at the helicopter on fire in front of him. By this time, almost the entire base is surrounding Danny, their rifles in hand, ready to fire. "Danny?" Ed calls into the phone again.

"They…" Danny starts. "The helicopter, they blew up the fucking helicopter!" Danny screams in disbelief so everyone can hear.

"Danny listen to me, stay in the crowded areas. Don't go anywhere alone, especially with your commanding officers. I'm coming to get you!"

"Ed, they're not going to let you enter this airspace."

"Danny, do you trust me?" Ed asks.

"Yes sir, I trust you."

"I'm on the way. Remember what I said, don't go anywhere alone."

"Yes, sir." Danny replies. He hangs up the phone and stands up to see his fellow marines surrounding him, starring in awe.

General Macalester comes walking towards McCoy. "What happened?" he asks looking at the helicopter in disbelief.

"Why was I being sent home alone?"

"What? You deserve to go…"

"Cut the crap!" Danny yells.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Macalester shouts.

"A traitor!" McCoy barks back.

"Back down Lieutenant!" Macalester says now looking at Danny, daring the young man to test him.

"Or what? Are you going to blow my tent up to?" Danny picks up his bag and walks towards the mess hall. He stops as he nears the crowd. "You all saw what happened here!" he shouts, looking at all of them and pointing to the helicopter.  
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Mike!" Ed yells, waving the young man towards him. Mike looks to the girls and walks over to Ed. The older man pulls out a piece of paper and a pen and begins to write something down. He hands it to Mike and looks him deep in the eyes. "You need to go to this address. Jillian will know what to do. Don't tell the girls know where you're going, especially Sam. Keep them on a need to know basis."

"I will Mr. D." Mike answers.

"Mike if something happens to Danny and me, take care of our girls."

"I will Mr. D. Just bring Danny home." Ed shakes Mike's hand and walks over to his wife and hugs her tightly.

"I'll be home as soon as I can."

"I know, just come back to us in one piece, with Danny." She says hugging her husband back.

He then walks over to Nessa and Sam and hugs them, "Keep Delinda in line ok. Oh and Sam, give the rest of them a break." He laughs. The two girls laugh and nod their heads.

Ed stops smiling as his eyes land on Delinda. He walks over to her and wraps his arms around her. "Bring him back daddy." She says starting to tear up. "I can't lose either of you."

"We'll both be back before you know it, I promise." He hugs Delinda and Jillian one more time and pulls away. "Now get in the truck, all of you." He shouts. Jillian gets in and takes ten grand out of the bag and hands it to Ed; he smiles, "I love you." He says gazing at her.

She smiles back at him and waves as they start to pull away, "I love you too" she shouts.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's notes:**__** This is the chapter where Ed sees Danny! The next three chapters, 14, 15, 16, have quite a bit of action, so look out for those. Again, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your reviews; they keep me writing and updating. Hope you enjoy.**_

_**Chapter 13**_

As Danny reaches the mess hall he hears some commotion behind him. He turns around to see Riplinger, Curtis, and Hall running after him. "Lieutenant!" Riplinger calls. "What's going on?" she asks with a pissed off tone.

"I don't know, apparently someone's not happy with me." McCoy replies, as he turns around and sits down at a nearby table. "Captain, can you find out what's going on?" Danny asks looking up to him for help.

"I'll try, but I doubt they'll tell me anything; they know I'm good friends with you." Hall replies. Danny lets out a deep sigh. "They said that you started running from the chopper long before it exploded?" Hall says, pretty much asking if it was true.

"Well yeah, how else do you think I'm standing here?"

"Yeah, but how did you know something was wrong? What made you run?" Riplinger pipes in.

"I started thinking, why would they send me home so early, why would they send me back by myself, why wouldn't they have some of the others guys being sent home hitch a ride, and why would they send me home when Achmed wasn't even completely dealt with, I hadn't even given a statement." Danny says lying to their faces.

He couldn't really tell them that he had his own phone and that his boss figured it out. Not that he was ashamed he hadn't put the pieces together himself; he just couldn't bear to see the looks on their faces when they learned that all along he had his own phone. The night when Curtis' wife had their first child and he couldn't talk to her, how could he tell him that he had the phone and just didn't let him use it? Or when Captain Hall's little boy cried every night for a week because he wasn't able to talk to his daddy, all along McCoy could have solved their problems. At least that's how they would see it.

The truth was that Danny had the phone, because of the CIA. He had agreed to do a job for them just this once. How would he explain that? He couldn't. He couldn't explain it to anyone, especially Ed; that's what killed him the most. The one man he trusted above everyone else he had to keep a secret from. Danny had more respect for Ed now than he ever had. Ed had spent his whole life keeping secrets from everyone, his wife, his daughter, everyone and anyone.

"I don't want you guys to leave, but I need to make a phone call real quick." Danny says standing up with his phone in his hand.

"Where did you get a satellite phone?" Curtis asks.

"Macalester just gave it to me so I can call my family. They don't know I'm alive yet, so…" Danny lies. "Don't leave I want to talk to you about something." Danny now steps over to where the food is normally served and dials Ed's number.

"Hello?" Ed answers.

"Hey, it's me." Danny says, talking quietly.

"Where are you? Why are you whispering?"

"I'm in the mess hall, but I don't want them to hear me."

"Ok, I just sent Mike and the girls off. I am headed to the airport now."

"Ed…" Danny starts, wanting to tell him everything. He bites his tongue and closes his eyes. "How long will it take you to get here?"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Nine Hours Later**

Mike pulls up in a driveway of an older Spanish style house, the street lined with huge blossoming trees casting a shadow over the neighborhood. The girls climb out of the truck, extremely tired after the long day that they had. It's now one in the morning in Gilroy, California. Jillian yawns, walks to the front door, and smiles as her old friend greets her.

"Dimitri…" she says embracing him in a hug.

"Jillian, it's been too long." He says, hugging her back. "and you look better than ever."

"Oh stop." She says smiling. Mike and the girls walk up behind Jillian, rubbing their eyes and yawning. "Dimitri, you remember Delinda and Nessa?"

"Of course, hello girls."

"And these are our good friends Sam and Mike." They both smile and wave politely.

"Yes, well I'm sure you are all very tired. If you will come with me I will show you to your rooms." They follow Dimitri in and they come to the first room, which Nessa and Mike take. Delinda and Sam get the second room, while Jillian follows Dimitri to the third. As they enter the room Dimitri turns around to face Jillian. "What's Ed got himself into this time?"

Jillian smiles and shakes her head. "It's not his fault, this time." She sits down on the edge of the bed and begins to tell him everything she knows.  
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After a long plane ride and many hours on the phone Ed finally lands at Danny's base camp. He stands up and walks to the front of the jet and lowers the stairs. As he looks out he sees Danny at the bottom of the stairs waiting for him.

Ed grins and walks down the stairs and embraces Danny in a tight hug. "I still can't believe this." He says pulling away. "This past month and a half has been…" he stops, "well that doesn't matter, it's all better now; or at least it will be in a minute." He says looking over to the tents to his left. "How's it been here?"

"Tiring." Danny answers simply.

"How longs it been since you slept?"

"48 plus." Ed shakes his head. "Well let's go get this taken care of so we can go home." The two walk over to the HQ tent. Danny lifts the flap and allows Ed to enter first. As Danny comes in right behind him he salutes at the sight of Macalester. The general salutes back and waves the two into his office.

"First of all Lieutenant, I don't know what the hell you thought you were doing earlier, but you better check yourself next time. And if you think you are going to bring some big wig in here to bail you out, you are sadly mistaken!" he shouts.

"Yes sir!" Danny replies, standing at attention.

"Excuse me sir, but I'm not here to 'bail him out'. There's something much bigger going on here. I need to ask you a few questions and then McCoy and I will be on our way."

"Be on your way? Where exactly do you think you are taking my Marine?" General Macalester asks, clearly irritated at the fact that he's being told what's going to happen rather than asked.

"You should be receiving some orders in a moment or two from your CO instructing you to release McCoy into my custody."Ed answers. "Now, if I could ask you a few questions." Ed says, now taking a seat. "Danny you can sit down." He says looking up at his protégé. The tall marine does just that, looking much more relaxed. Macalester sighs and takes a seat behind his desk. "Who ordered you to send Danny on that chopper by himself?"

"Aniston, from the pentagon; he said that McCoy was being sent home on special terms." Macalester replies.

"And you didn't think to ask why?"

"You don't question the pentagon."

"This man you say is responsible for all of this, where is he?"

"He's being held in a fenced area surrounded by marines, I don't think he's going anywhere."

"Ok, well thank you general, I will call you if I have any further questions." Ed says standing up to shake his hand. Danny stands up and salutes. The two men walk out of the tent silently.

"He's lying through his teeth." Danny growls.

"I know, we'll find out why, but first let's pay a little visit to this Achmed character." Ed says, as he looks up to Danny. McCoy smiles and shakes his head. They walk over to the gate leading into the fenced area where Achmed is being held.

Riplinger salutes as her Lieutenant approaches. "At ease soldier." McCoy says as he brings his hand back down from saluting.

"How's it going Lieutenant?" Riplinger asks, referring to the events earlier that day.

"Better…" He says simply.

"Ach hmm." Ed clears his throat, trying to get Danny to introduce him.

"Oh, Private First Class Riplinger, this is my…" Danny stops not quite knowing what to call his mentor.

"Ed Deline." Ed says moving forward to shake the woman's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir, Lieutenant McCoy has told me so much about you."

Ed looks up to Danny with a skeptical look, "all good things I hope."

"Yes sir." She says smiling.

"How's he been?" McCoy asks, referring to Achmed.

"A pain in the ass; he keeps barking orders to us and then is shocked when we don't do it." She laughs.

"Anyone knocked him around lately?"

"Not since you."

"Good, we're going to…chat…with him for a while."

"Actually Lieutenant, I've been given strict orders not to let you within fifty feet of him." She says looking sorry. "…but I suddenly have to use the jon, so if someone were to walk in there…" she says walking away.

Ed smiles, "I like her." He says as they open the gate and walk into the tent surrounded by chain link fence and barbed wire.

"Yeah, she's a good person." Danny stops walking as they reach Achmed, chained to a chair. Ed stays back in the shadows a bit and lets Danny do his thing. Achmed raises his head and opens his eyes as Danny nears him.

"Please, I've done what you asked, leave me alone." He pleads with a panic in his voice.

"Do you remember when I told you that I had lost faith in that saying 'an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind'? Well that still stands, but I was just thinking…" He pauses for a moment. 

"We are not even!" He screams, lifting up his shirt to expose the electrocution marks that have now transformed into scars.

Ed's eyes widen as he sees the scars on Danny's upper torso and back.

"You damaged my fingers." He says lifting up his bandaged fingers. "So I took one of yours; but that still leaves two others that I haven't paid you back for. What are we going to do about that?" he asks turning away and pacing back and forth in front of the man. Danny takes a knife out of his pocket and waves it in front of Achmed's face. "Don't worry; I'm not going to use it." He says laughing. "You torturing me doesn't bother me as much as you trying to kill my family. If you have a problem with me that's fine, but you NEVER come near my family. DO YOU HEAR ME!" he screams, getting an inch from Achmed's face. "Luckily for you, I saved them. Well actually maybe not so lucky for you. That means that Ed Deline is still alive and kicking. Which means that I'm not going to use this knife…he is." Ed walks over, out of the shadows.

"Oh shit!" Achmed whines, throwing his head back.  
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"Your family, I swear. There's always something going on." Dimitri says laughing.

"I know, what I'd give for a boring life." Jillian laughs back.

"Well I better let you get some sleep. Olga and Christos will be back tomorrow morning and we'll have a big breakfast." He says as he stands up and moves towards the door.

"Good night Dimitri and thanks for everything; you're a sweetheart." She says just before he shuts the door. The blonde woman sighs and leans back on the bed, replaying the day's events. She then gets up and walks over to her bag and grabs the second satellite phone. She dials a number and hears it ring. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Achmed continues to scream, thrashing his head back and forth in agonizing pain.

"Are you sure we can't kill him?" Ed asks, looking up to Danny as he pulls the knife out from underneath Achmed's fingernail.

"No, they need him for some more…..questioning. Besides this is more fun anyway." He says shrugging his shoulder.

Just as Ed moves to insert the knife again his phone rings. He stops and looks over to the phone sitting a few feet away. "Saved by the bell." He says smiling over to Achmed. He wipes the blood from his hands on his pants and picks up the phone. "Hello?"

"It's me." Jillian says calmly.

"Hey, did you get there all right?" he says turning is back on Achmed.

"Yes, we are all here. The kids have already conked out. Have you seen him yet?" she asks.

"Yes, I'm standing with him right now." Ed replies smiling and looking back at Danny.

"How does he look?"

"Good, considering the circumstances."

"When are you coming home?"

"Well we'll be leaving here soon, but we have a few stops to make before we come home."

Jillian sighs, "Eddie, don't you go getting yourselves into anymore trouble. Do you hear me?"

"Yes dear, I love you."

"Love you too." She says as she hangs up the phone.  
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	14. Chapter 14

_**Authors Notes:**__ This chapter is rather long. I wrote it and then realized it was roughly twenty pages long. So I have split it up into a couple different ones. This one is around nine pages I believe. More action coming up and there is some more involvement with the other characters within the next chapter or two. Specifically Sam and some stuff with Mike too. I thought it would be good to give the other guys a bigger part. Hope you enjoy and look forward to your reviews. They really help me figure out where I will take the story next. Thanks for your time. _

**Chapter 14  
**_Three hours later_

Ed and Danny sit on the plane heading back towards the states. Ed sits at a table on his laptop while Danny lies on the couch, passed out from exhaustion. The older man looks over to his young protégé and sighs. The jet suddenly hits a spot of turbulence, causing the plane to jerk. Danny jumps up and grabs is pistol, pointing it at the 'would be' abductor. He sighs when he realizes that it was just some turbulence and sits back down on the couch with his head in his hands.

"You ok?" Ed asks, still starring at the young man.

"Yeah" Danny replies simply as he lifts his head up to look at Ed. He stands up and walks over to the table and takes a seat. "Ed I…" Danny starts.

"What?" he asks sitting up a little straighter now.

"I don't quite know how to tell you this, I know I should have told you from the beginning but they said…"

"Danny what is it?" Ed asks now getting concerned.

"When I was deployed the first time…before everything with Mary happened…" He stops again, trying not to blame himself for her death. "When I was at the airport on my way out I was approached by a man. He made me an offer that I couldn't refuse. I should've known that it was too good to be true. I should have called you first."

"What is it Danny?" Ed asks, afraid that this was going where he thought it was.

"He was from the company; he said that if I did this one job for them I could come home as soon as it was done. There wouldn't be any follow ups or commitment to the company. The only thing I could think of was getting back to Mary…"

"Jesus Danny! Why didn't you call me? Fuck!" Ed yells putting his head into his hands. "I knew you were working for them, but I didn't know you had a choice."

"Ed I'm sorry."

"I know you are. It was just a matter of time."

Danny furrows his brow. "What do you mean 'a matter of time'?"

Ed sighs and looks up to Danny. "They approached me two years ago and asked me to recruit you. I could see why they wanted you. You're smart, you have connections, and I could see you were a good marine. The only thing that made me tell them no was the way you cared for your friends and family. A man in this line of work can't have a family and a work for the company."

"You did."

"When I took the job there I didn't have a family. Not to mention I was never there for Delinda or Jillian for the matter."

"This is all my fault; I should never have taken the offer."

"No you shouldn't have, but this is not your fault. You held up your end of the bargain and then they tried to kill you. No this is all their fault. There was something you knew that they didn't want out, what was it?"

"My first mission was to breach Achmed's office, undetected, and get some information off of his computer. As I was on his computer I found multiple emails from someone inside the pentagon talking about selling nukes to the U.S government. I reported the information to my handler. Apparently I wasn't supposed to find the emails."

"How did you know the emails were from the pentagon?"

"The server name at the end of the email was government issued. I have a friend in the pentagon with the same URL ending, so I knew that's where it was from."

"What was is it you were supposed to be looking for?"

"They had suspicions that he had something to do with the 9/11 attacks. At least that's what they told me. When they pulled me back into the field the second time they said it was because the proof I had gotten was enough to bring him in. Now I realize that was just a bonus, their real mission was to take me out."

"Yeah, but then why would they have gone through all the trouble of finding you and bringing you home? They could have just let Achmed kill you."

"They didn't want to take the chance of me telling him what I know. I bet they thought they caught a lucky break when they thought he killed me."

"Yeah and I'm sure they shit themselves when they found out you were alive." Ed says laughing. "Was there a name on the emails you found?"

"The email address was JSmith so they are covering their tracks. On the other hand though the standard Pentagon email addresses consist of the person's last name and first initial, so either this guy has an unusually common first and last name, or he has access to administrative resources to create new accounts."

"Well that narrows our search down to a few hundred. Is there anything else you can remember?"

"Yeah, the guy from the Pentagon kept mentioning something about Shake. 'Call Shake with a time and place' 'Shake will give you a list of components' stuff like that. If we could cross reference the name Shake with employees of the Pentagon, first names, last names, alias', maybe we'll get lucky with something."  
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Mike rolls over and looks at the clock on the nightstand, it reads 6:00 am. He sighs and looks over to Nessa, who's sleeping soundly. The man smiles and creeps out of bed, trying not to wake his girlfriend. He walks out of the room and stops as the floors creek, he looks back to make sure he hasn't woken anyone. When he sees the coast is clear he walks to the backdoor and steps outside.

As soon as the young man's foot hits the concrete stone of the little court yard a small dog runs up to him. Mike smiles and bends down to pet him.

"Moochie, ella!" Dimitri commands to his pooch in Greek. The dog does as he's told and quickly scurries away. Mike walks out of the court yard and into the backyard. The pool is a deep sparkling blue with an attached hot tub. To the right of the pool is a covered eating area with a hammock nearby. The whole yard surrounded by concrete walls just tall enough for some privacy, but low enough to see the gorgeous hill sides behind it. Dimitri sits on the edge of the pool with his legs dangling in the cool pool water. "Come, talk to me." He says with his accent. Mike walks over and sits beside the man and puts his feet in the water as well. "How did you sleep, good?"

"Fine thank you." Mike replies politely.

"How have they been?" Dimitri asks, referring to the girls.

"Well it's been a long couple of days, a long few months actually. Jillian seems to be holding it together, but I think she's used to this by now. Delinda was a mess up until yesterday. Nessa has a strong front on, but I think it's getting to her a little bit. Sam….well Sam is Sam. I don't think she really comprehends the severity of all this, and if she does then she doesn't care." He says laughing a little. Dimitri nods his head. "I just want to thank you for helping us out like this. You must be a good friend of Ed's if he trusted you enough with his family."

Dimitri smiles and nods his head again. "Yes, I have known Ed since before he met Jillian. I was the only witness at their wedding. I'd say I know him pretty well."

"You met Ed in the…" Mike stops as he gets a look from Dimitri, the same look that Danny often got from Ed when asking about his past. Mike sighs and nods his head in understanding.

"Let's go get some breakfast." Dimitri suggests, now standing up. "Chris and Olga should be back any minute."

"Chris and Olga?"

"My son and my wife."  
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"Ok we have a hit." Ed says reading some documents on his computer. "Rylee Shake….fuck" he says with a sigh.

"What?" Danny asks worriedly.

"Let's just say I've dealt with Shake before." Ed says, brushing over the question. Rather than wasting time Danny doesn't push for more information.

"Well what did her name pop up for?" He asks.

Ed looks back down at his computer. "She was let go last year from the Pentagon for allegedly trading government secrets. There wasn't enough proof so they let her go and gave her a recommendation. It was believed that she had a few accomplices, but they weren't able to locate the sources."

"We have a current address?" Danny asks.

Ed frowns and looks up from his computer, "Vegas"

"Looks like we'll be going home sooner than we thought." Danny says smiling. "How much longer until we land?"

"Six hours to Vegas, but we are going to make a quick pit stop."

"Langley?" Danny states more than asks. Ed nods his head.

"I don't trust them enough to go in and talk. We're going to have to surprise them."  
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Mike and Dimitri set breakfast out on the table in front of the girls while Chris pours the drinks. Delinda lingers in the hallway, peering at the family pictures on the wall and cabinets. She stops and picks one up that had been sitting behind the others on a desk. She smiles and wipes the dust from the glass of the frame. Her mother and father standing next to Dimitri smiling back at her from the picture. She smiles one last time, sets her parents wedding photo back down, and walks back to her room to get her phone.  
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Chris sets the milk down when he hears a knock at the door. "That's probably Brian" he says walking to the front door.

His hand touches the door knob, "Christos, No!" Dimitri shouts. It's too late; he has already opened the door. Two men in black suits push their way into the house. One of the men grabs Chris while the other has a gun pointed to Dimitri's head as he walks into the room.

A blonde, average height woman walks in behind the two men, dressed in blue jeans, an Aerosmith t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. "Whoa boys, easy easy!" she says laughing. "Dimitri! It's been such a long time. Why don't you call?"

"Get the Hell out of my house." He growls.

"Where are they?" She asks.

"The kitchen." One of her men responds. The men push Chris and Dimitri back into the kitchen while Rylee Shake follows.

Delinda grabs the 9mm out of her mother's bag at the sound of commotion and walks cautiously back down the hallway. She peers around the corner to see the front door wide open. She creeps by the door and hides behind the wall separating the kitchen from the entry way. She counts to ten and swings around the wall, taking careful aim upon the two men. She lets two bullets loose in each of their chests and aims the 9mm at Shakes head.

"Well done Delinda! Really I am impressed!" Shake says, clapping.

"Back up." Delinda barks.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend?" Shake says moving a few steps closer.

"Step back!" Delinda screams, firing a bullet at the woman's feet.  
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"Have you talked to Jillian lately?"Danny asks, breaking the silence.

"Not since we left." Ed answers, still working on the computer.

"You think we could call?"

Ed smiles and looks up from his computer. "Yeah, we can call." Ed picks up the phone and dials Jillian's number.

_RING….RING….RING….RING_

Ed hangs up with a furrowed brow. "There was no answer."

"Well maybe she just wasn't in the same room." Danny says, hoping that everything was ok.

Ed shakes his head. "No…she would have answered if she could have. Something's not right."

"Well, try again." Danny says frantically. Ed redials the number.  
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_RING….RING….RING_

"Mom the phone!" Delinda says not taking her eyes off of Shake. Jillian leaves the group of people and runs to her room.

"Ohhhhhhh, that's daddy isn't it?" Shake says smiling.

"Shut up!" Delinda shouts, taking a tighter grip on the pistol.

"Your whole life daddy's always baled you out of your messes hasn't he?" Shake says taking a step forward.

"Shut your mouth!" Delinda barks.

"Just like in Roseburg…."

"Step back Shake!" Delinda commands.

"and in Venice, and in Houston…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Delinda commands again.

"and in Sacramento…" BANG!! Delinda lets a bullet loose in Shakes foot, dropping the woman to the floor.

"Another word and the next ones in your shoulder." Delinda says, keeping her distance. Sam falls into a chair and stares at the scene unfolding in front of her. "Dimitri, check on mom and get some rope and a t-shirt. Dimitri walks towards the hallway.

Delinda tries with all her might not to put a bullet in the woman's skull. She grips the pistol tighter and flashes back to when they used to be best friends. The two of them on missions together, pretending to be someone other than themselves, always having the others back, covering up after the other. How did things get to where they are now, to the point where they are trying to kill each other?

Delinda's brought out of her trance as Dimitri walks back into the room with a few yards of rope in one hand and an old gym t-shirt in the other. He pulls one of the kitchen chairs over and bends down to pick Shake up. "Get up!" he barks, yanking her arms up. Shake collapses in the chair, still laughing. Dimitri scowls and ties her up.

"You always have been Ed's little puppet, haven't you?" Rylee says smiling.

Dimitri tears the shirt in half and ties it tightly around Shake's ankle, where Delinda shot her. Shake closes her eyes, trying not to show any signs of pain.

"Ed teach you how to do that too?" Rylee says, trying to push Dimitri's buttons.

Dimitri smiles, "I worked out for two hours yesterday, unfortunately I didn't get a chance to wash the shirt." He says taking the other half of the shirt and gagging her with it. "So you have a fun time with that." He says laughing as he walks away.

"Mike, watch her for a second." Delinda says, handing him the gun as he walks over. As she walks down the hall Dimitri walks passed her with his desert eagle in hand. "Mike's in there watching her, make sure he's ok." She says, not stopping to make eye contact. Delinda then walks into her mother's room and sees her sitting on the bed, talking on the phone.

"I don't know, she barged in with two guys…no Delinda was in the other room and heard what was…no she's fine, she took care of the guys and wounded Shake. Here she just walked in" Jillian says, now handing the phone to Delinda.

"Daddy?" she says, bringing the phone to her ear.

"D, are you ok?" he asks with a worried tone.

"I'm fine. How did she find us?"

"I don't know, but if she found you it's just a matter of time before they find you. You need to get out of there."

"Yeah, but we need to ask Shake a few questions first." Delinda says.

"You need to take her with you. She's involved more than we thought." Ed says clearly. "we have to talk to her but we have a few stops to make before we can meet up with you."

"Where are we supposed to go?"

"You don't go anywhere, you just drive, and you keep driving until I call you with a rendezvous point."

"Let me talk to her…" Danny whines.

"Be sure to take Dimitri and his family with you, they'll go after them too." Ed says ignoring Danny.

"Ed, let me…"

"Ok I love you sweetie, here's Danny." The older man says, finally giving in to Danny's plea.

"D?!" Danny says into the phone, longing to hear her voice.

"Yeah it's me." She says beaming,

"Are you ok? How are Mike and the girls? Is your mom ok?" Danny asks, barely letting Delinda get a word out. Ed smiles at his young protégé's care for his family.

"Mike and Nessa are fine, they're being strong. Sam is in shock, I think. She didn't really grow up around guns so…this is all new to her. Mom's doing great. Unfortunately she's used to this sort of thing now."

"I'm sorry I've gotten you all into this mess, D"

"Don't worry about it McCoy, you're worth it." She says laughing, trying to make him feel better.

"What about you, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, I'll be better when you get here." She says dodging the question.

"I'll be there soon, D, I promise." He says closing his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too McCoy." She says gripping the phone tightly. "Come home."

"I will, by D" he says hanging up the phone.  
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Nessa bends down and takes a gun from the one of Shakes dead men and hands it to Sam. "Sam, take it." Nessa commands. Sam just sits and stares. "Sam!" Nessa yells, bringing the feisty brunette out of her trance.

"Ok, ok." She says with an irritated tone. She takes the gun with her index finger and thumb, as if it her carrying a deadly disease. Nessa reaches over to the other man and grabs his 9mm. she steps back, keeping her distance from Shake. Delinda and Jillian walk in behind Nessa, Delinda with a determined look in her eye.

"Mike." Delinda calls "take Nessa and Sam in the other room." She commands.

Dimitri looks over to wife and son, "Chris, take mommy and go pack a bag." He says trying to make his son feel important, but still getting him out of the room.

That leaves Dimitri, Delinda, and Jillian left in the room with Shake. Delinda turns to her mother, "mom, you might want to go help Nessa keep Sam calm." She says, trying to get her mother out of the room. Jillian nods her head and walks out. "Take the gag out." She says to Dimitri. He does just that. "What do you want?" she asks Shake in a calm voice.

"To see me old friends of course." Shake replies. Delinda smiles and turns to walk away, but quickly turns back, and back hands the woman across the cheek.

"Don't bull shit me right now Rylee!" Delinda warns.

"I'm trained to handle this; you're not going to get anything out of me."

"Well we'll just have a little fun then." Delinda says smiling and stepping on Shakes ankle. Shake screams a little and starts to sweat. "Oh I'm sorry, did that hurt?" Dimitri opens a drawer and pulls out a large steak knife.

"A knife, really? That's it?" Shake says laughing.

"Fine we'll skip the easy stuff." He says walking out of the kitchen.

"You never did know when to shut your mouth." Delinda says shaking her head.

A few moments later he returns with a silver case. He sets it down on the counter and opens it, taking out a large syringe. "This will make you beg me to kill you." Rylee's eyes widen. Dimitri injects the syringe into her neck.

"You remember this stuff don't you Shake?" Delinda asks in a sarcastic tone. "Do you remember using it on me when you betrayed me?" Shake begins to whine and sweat profusely, her eyes widen, and she grinds her teeth.

"Bet you want that knife now, huh?" Dimitri says with a grin.

"Tell us what you came for, Shake, and the pain stops." Delinda says, getting in Rylee's face.

"Bite me." Shake says, struggling to get the words out.

"Another two cc's" Delinda says looking up to Dimitri. He nods his head and injects the woman again. Shake bites her lip and closes her eyes, shaking her head back and forth. "Just spit it out! What did you want?" Delinda yells, shaking the woman by her shoulders.

"I can't…" she says, letting a tear escape from the pain.

"Yes you can, what…what is it?" Delinda pleads.

"ahhhh…!" Shake screams. "I can't, he…ahhhh!"

"He…he who…who is it?" Delinda asks, hoping that Shake gives in. The woman remains silent, refusing to give up the information. "Come on Rylee, give me a name and I'll put the needles away." She says, trying to compromise, "another two…"

"Lucas!" Shake shouts. "Jeremy Lucas!" she shouts again.

"That's good, that's good Rylee. Now why did he send you here?"

"I don't know…"

"Don't give me that…why?" Delinda says now, not wanting to start with the needles again. "Talk and I'll give you some anesthesia.

"I don't know, I was told to keep you hostage here." Shake says, shaking her head.

"Rylee…are they coming here?" Delinda screams, getting a knot in her stomach.

Rylee Shake closes her eyes and doesn't respond. Delinda turns to run down the hallway, but stops at the sound of a car door shutting. She looks down at her chest and sees a red laser on her. "DOWN!" she screams as she throws herself to the floor, hearing the glass from the windows shattering.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The noise of gunfire doesn't let up.

Delinda army crawls down the hall to Mike and Nessa's room. The four friends huddle on the floor in the corner of the room, covering their heads. Delinda looks around and crawls under the bed. She rolls over on her back and extends her arms, pushing the bed up and against the window in front of her. Sam looks at her in amazement.

"Follow me!" Delinda shouts over the gun fire. She turns and crawls to Dimitri's room where she finds Chris and Olga hiding in the master bathroom. Mike now has the pistol that Sam had been holding earlier and is ordered, by Delinda, to stay with the girls.

Delinda takes her gun and crawls back to her mother's room, grabbing the bag. She stops moving as fire on the house stops. She hears the front door kicked open and two shots fired from the master bedroom. At the sound of the bullets fired she sees a man dressed in assault gear drop to the floor; Mike got him. Another man breaches the hallway and Delinda drops him.

She walks down the hallway and throws the bag into Dimitri's room before continuing to the kitchen. Shake remains tied to the, now tipped over, chair. Dimitri hides behind the counter, taking cover. He looks over to see Delinda kitty corner from him. Delinda eyes two men in the living room and relays the information to Dimitri via hand signals. After a count of three the two swing into the living room, opening fire on the two men, who now drop to the floor dead. Delinda and Dimitri move through the house, clearing it room by room.

They finally get to the master bathroom to find their family surrounded around Mike, holding towels to his thigh, the floor covered in blood. Delinda and Dimitri push their way through to Mike. He's been shot in the thigh; apparently one of the bullets that Delinda heard earlier had been from the intruder and hit Mike.

Delinda slaps his face a few times, "Mike, stay with us Mike." She says, trying to keep him from drifting off to sleep. Dimitri examines his leg and looks up with a grimace face.

"The bullet is still in there. We have to get it out." He says looking at her with a serious tone.

"Mike!" Delinda shouts at him, trying to get his full attention. "Mike, I know you are in pain right now, but we have to cause you more pain in order to fix you up. Ok?" she says now holding his head.

"Ne…Nessa." He says looking around with his pale face. Nessa moves to his side and grabs his hand, tears streaming down her face. He struggles to smile, but finds it easier when his eyes meet hers. "I love you."

She smiles back at him. "I love you too."

"AHHHHHHHH!!" Mike screams in agonizing pain as Dimitri sticks a pair of pliers in the wound, trying to grasp the bullet. Delinda takes a waded up cloth and sticks it in Mike's mouth for him to bite down on. He bites down on the cloth and continues screaming.

"I've got it, Chris hand me the quick clot." He says to his son, who has now brought over the first aid kit. Dimitri pours the sand like medicine on Mike's wound. Mike moans a bit and shakes his head back and forth. Delinda looks at Mike holding Nessa's hand, trying not to give into the pain. Delinda gets an evil look in her eye and stands up, grabbing the gun on her way out. She heads towards the kitchen. Sam looks up and sees Delinda leaving, she jumps up and walks after Delinda, but she's too late, Delinda has already reached the kitchen.

The tall blonde walks in and sees Shake tied to the tipped over chair. "You Bitch!" she yells, kicking Shake in the face as hard as she can. Rylee's nose, now broken, starts to bleed everywhere. "You knew, you knew they were coming!" she yells again. She kicks Shake in the torso, probably breaking a few of her ribs. Sam grabs Delinda from behind and pulls her away.

"Delinda!" Sam shouts. "Delinda, control yourself!" she yells again, taking the gun from Delinda's hand. "Killing her now isn't good enough. Just wait until Ed and Danny get a hold of her."

"Yeah Delinda, let daddy clean up after your mess, again." Shake says, spitting out a mouth full of blood.

"Shut up!" Sam barks, as she turns around and kicks Shake in the face, knocking her out.

"We need to get out of here." Delinda says, now regaining some composure. Sam nods her head, still starring Delinda down.

"You sure you're ok?" Sam asks.

"Yeah I'm fine; we have to go, now." Delinda repeats. The two walks back to the bedroom to check on Mike, who is now asleep. Dimitri cleans out the wound and starts to stitch him up. "We have to get going. We need two new cars though. They were out there with ours, and I don't want to take a chance."

"Chris, help Delinda, take her to the car lot and get two of the Yukon's. Take the bike."

"Bike?" Delinda says confused. Chris grabs her hand and drags her out to the garage where a new Yamaha YZF-R1 is parked. "Ohhhh….shot gun!" Delinda calls.  
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Danny walks over to the couch where Ed is sleeping and nudges him. "Ed…" he says softly, not wanting to startle his mentor. He had made that mistake before; he once walked into Ed's office and kicked the couch Ed had been sleeping on. Ed shot up, reaching for a gun that wasn't there. From that moment on, Danny was very careful when waking a sleeping Ed. "Ed…" He says again softly. Ed's eyes shoot open, looking around startled. "We should be landing soon." Ed sits up, bringing his feet to the floor, and rubbing his eyes.

"Where are we landing?" he asks looking back at Danny.

"Washington Dulles Airport, it's about…"

"I know where it is." Ed cuts in irritably. He sighs and looks back up to his young protégé. "I'm…"

"Don't worry about it." Danny says in understanding. "Ed…I'm sorry I've gotten everyone into this. I…"

"Danny, don't." Ed says with a guilty conscience. "Just don't."

"Where are we going?" Danny asks, changing the subject.

"This guy that I used to work with, a real dirt bag."

"If you don't trust him, why are we going to him for help?"

"We're not going to him for help; we're going to him for answers." Ed says still looking to Danny "There's a big difference." He adds, now smiling. Danny smiles back, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I know." He replies, still laughing.  
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Delinda pulls into the car lot with Chris on the back of the bike. "When did your dad open this place?" she asks as she dismounts the bike, taking off her helmet.

"About a two years ago. He got bored sitting around the house all day. Now he has seven car lots all across the state." Chris replies walking into the building through a side door with Delinda in tow. He walks into the first office on the right and grabs a set of keys off the desk. He turns back to Delinda, waving the keys in her face. "Let's get us some trucks." He says smiling. They both turn and walk back out the side door.

Delinda walks over to a new black GMC Yukon. "Chris, the keys." She says calling over to him. He tosses her the keys and she unlocks the metal box on the side of the window. She tosses the keys back to Chris and takes the ones to the Yukon. Chris walks over to another Yukon, this one white, and does the same thing. "You going to be all right driving that thing by yourself?" Delinda asks, as she climbs into the truck.

Chris smiles back, "I may be fifteen, but my dad owns the car lot. I've driven these things once or twice." Delinda laughs and starts up the car. They both drive out of the parking lot and after a few turns and stop lights they arrive back at the house.

"Chris, get me a screwdriver." Delinda says as she walks into the house. "Guys, let's go." She calls as she walks to the back of the house. Dimitri walks out of the bedroom with a few bags in hand. "Chris is getting a screwdriver. Take the GPS trackers out." Dimitri nods his head and walks out to the truck.

Delinda walks in and finds Mike lying on the bed, fast asleep, with Nessa next him damping his head with a cold cloth. "How is he?" she asks, walking into the room a little further.

Nessa turns to face Delinda, "Better." She replies simply.

"He'll be ok." Delinda states, trying to relieve some of her sister's worries.

"I know…it's just hard to see him this way." Delinda nods her head in understanding. "The cars are outside. Are you ready to go?"

Nessa nods her head. "How are we going to lay him down in the truck?"

"I've got that covered. Chris has a twin sized air mattress; we'll put one of the middle row seats down and lay it across the second and third row."

Dimitri walks in behind Delinda. "Chris has the air mattress all set up. Can you help me carry Mike out there?" Delinda nods her head and moves toward the bed, picking Mikes legs up, while Dimitri gets his head and shoulders. They awkwardly walk out to the truck and get Mike situated. "Now let's get Shake." Dimitri says, looking to Delinda.

"Ok." She says, almost forgetting about the woman tied to the chair in the kitchen. They both walk into the house and make their way to the kitchen. Shake is still out cold from the swift kick to the face Sam had given her earlier.

"I'll be back in a second." Dimitri says, turning to head towards the garage. A few seconds later he returns with a straitjacket in hand. Smiling he says, "I knew this would come in handy someday." He bends down and unties Shake from the chair and ties her up in the straitjacket. Laughing, Dimitri turns to look up at Delinda, "All we have to do now is get her in the car and we can get going." They carry Shake out to the Yukon and all pile into the trucks.

Taking one last glance at his house, Dimitri pulls out of the drive way with Delinda flollowing behind him.  
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Danny and Ed sit in the plane as they taxi off the runway. "We need to call Delinda, she should have some info from Shake by now." Ed says picking up the phone. He dials the number and instead of bringing the phone to his ear he hands it to Danny.

Danny smiles and takes the phone eagerly. After a few rings he hears her voice and can't help but grin. "How's my favorite girl?"

Delinda smiles at the sound of his voice, forgetting for a moment all of her problems. "I'm fine…but we had an incident at the house." She says now remembering the days events.

"Are you ok? What happened?" He asks, starting to get worried.

"Well, he's ok, but Mike was shot in the leg." Delinda says, letting out a deep sigh.

"What? What happened?" Danny asks his voice getting a little high pitched.

"I was interogating Shake and she gave me a name and said that she was ordered to keep us their. I ran down the hallway to get everybody and a bunch of men in assault gear opened fire on the house. Mike was in the bedroom with the girls and one of the guys came in through the back door. Mike stood up and shot the guy but he got Mike in the leg first."

"Oh my god…"Danny says softly. Bringing his head into his hands. "He saved their lives." He mutters again. "how is he now?"

"He's in the back with Nessa. We gave him something to lighten the pain and he's asleep now." She says, glancing back at Mike in the rear view mirror.

"What did Shake give you?" Danny asks, trying to get to the bottom of this whole thing.

"She gave me a name, Jeremy Lucas. Ring any bells?"

Danny thinks for a moment, "No not really. What else did she say?"

"She said that she was told to keep us there, that's when I realized they were coming to the house. I ran down the hallway to get everyone, but it was too late. They had opened fire on the house."

"D, I'm so sorry. I'll make everything right again, I promise." He says, feeling guilty about everything that's happened.

"You and daddy just come home safely, that's all I want." Delinda says smiling as she looks over to her mother.

There's a short pause, "hey put your mom on the phone your dad wants to talk to her."

"Ok, I love you."

"I love you too." Danny replies before handing the phone to his mentor.

Delinda taps her mother on the shoulder and hands her the phone. "it's daddy."

"Hey sweetie, how are you?" Ed asks.

"Eddie, when are you two going to be done playing spy? We miss you." Jillian asks, half joking.

Ed smiles and replies, "We miss you too, we'll be home as soon as we can…How is everyone?"

"Good, considering…" she answers.

"Where's Shake?"

"In the other car with Dimitri. He's been really great through this whole thing."

"Don't you go run off with him now, while I'm gone." Ed says joking. Danny signals Ed to wrap up the conversation. "Listen, I have to go now, but I'll call you later tonight."

"Ok, I love you, bye."

"Love you too, bye." Danny lowers the ladder to the plane. He grabs his bag and rifle and heads out of the plane, with Ed close behind him. Ed looks up to see a young man standing infront of them, leaning against a new SUV.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Author Notes: This Chapter is focused on Ed and Danny and gives a little info on who is after them and why. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think. Thanks. **_

_**Chapter 16**_

Danny smiles and walks towards the man with open arms. "Cody Howard! How are ya man?" he says hugging the man quickly.

"Better than you, by the sound of things." He replies smiling. Ed clears his throat.

"Oh I'm sorry. Cody Howard this is my good friend Ed Deline. Ed this is Cody Howard, we grew up and served together."

Ed steps forward to shake the young mans hand, tightly.

"Nice to meet you." Ed says, slightly scowling.

"You too sir." Howard says with firm handshake. "shall we get going?" Cody says, his hands motioning towards the truck.

"Yeah." Danny says, loading his bag into the trunk, but keeping his rifle with him. "Ed…" he says, indicating for the older man to give him his bag. Howard gets into the driver's seat while Ed and Danny continue to put their belongings in the truck.

"Danny, are you sure we can trust him?" Ed whispers.

Danny furrows his brow, "Yes, I'm sure." He says slightly insulted. "I grew up with this guy, I served with him, we've saved each other's lives. If I were to trust anyone right now it would be him."

"Ok." Ed says backing off. The two climb into the truck, Danny letting Ed have the front seat.

"Where to Mr. Deline?" Howard asks. Ed glances back to Danny, who nods his head in approval.

"Langley, there's a neighborhood on the outskirts of town."

"Yes sir." Cody says starting up the SUV and heading towards the exit of the airstrip. Knowing that Ed doesn't trust him, Cody tries his best to show as much respect as possible. "So McCoy…how have you been?" Cody asks, trying to break the silence.

"Well…it's been an extremely long six months " Danny says as he recalls the events of the past half year. His men, Mary, his father, PFC Ryan, his family put in jeopardy, now trying to run from his own government.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to Mary's funeral. When I got your letter I was still a month away from being discharged."

"Believe me, I understand." Danny says sighing, "Cody grew up with Mary, Greg, and I." Danny says, now talking to Ed. Ed nods his head as he stares out the window.

"Uh-huh," He replies, brushing the comment off.

Danny looks behind him, out the back window and his eyes widen. He leans forward and pushes Ed's head down. "Down!" Danny screams. A bullet comes flying in through the back, shattering the back window, and going right through Ed's headrest. "Howard step on it!" Danny's picks up his rifle and fires back. "Faster!"

Ed gets his glock and leans out the window, firing at the two SUV's behind them. Danny gets one of the tires, causing the first truck to flip. The men continue to shoot at Danny and company. Cody catches a bullet in the right shoulder. He screams out and grabs the wheel again with his left hand. He swerves off the freeway, pulls around the corner, and stops.

They hear a screeching of tires and the SUV tears around the corner. Danny fires at the suburban, taking out the two front tires. The men continue to shoot, but Danny finally takes both of them out. "Howard move!" Danny commands as the sound of police sirens are heard approaching. The truck doesn't move. "Howard…" Danny says again, now moving to look at him.

"Danny!" Ed shouts, as he leans back in the car. "Howard's been…"

Danny rushes out of the car and opens Cody's door. "Cody!" he shouts. Dragging the man out of the front seat and into the back.

"Danny…" Cody mumbles, blood escaping his mouth. "Thank you."

"Come on Cody! Stay with me!" Danny yells.

"Deerpark 508" Cody says, struggling to get the words out.

"What?" what is that?" Danny asks, Cody closes his eyes. "Cody! Cody!" Danny yells shaking the man furiously. McCoy looks up and wipes his eyes. "Where does this fucker live? I want some answers and I want them right, fucking, now!" he screams. Ed nods his head and moves over to help Danny securely place Howard in the back seat. Danny moves towards the driver side door and places his hand on the handle. Ed puts his hand on the door, holding it shut.

"Maybe I should drive." Ed says, not so much suggesting as informing.

"I'm going to drive." Danny states, not dealing with Ed's forceful ways. Ed opens his mouth to object. "Damn-it Ed, I'm driving!" Danny says with a loud irritated tone.

Ed nods his head, "ok." He says walking back over to the passenger side. They both, silently, climb into the truck and drive off.

After ten minutes and limited communication they arrive at the man's house. They sit outside for a moment, Danny with a blank stare on his face.

"Danny…we should go in before he gets home." Ed says quietly. Danny snaps his head up, startled.

"Yeah, yeah ok." Danny says looking around a little disoriented.

"Are you ok?"

Danny looks to Cody in the backseat. "yeah, I'm fine." He says, getting out of the truck. He opens the door to the backseat and grabs his rifle. He then looks around and grabs the windshield protector and covers Cody's body up with it, in case some nosey neighbors decide to walk by the new car in the neighborhood. He then takes one of Cody's jackets and covers his rifle up with it.

Ed loads a new clip into his gloc and looks up to Danny. "You ready?" Danny nods his head. They both walk across the street and into the backyard of the house.

"he's got an alarm…and surveillance." Danny points out. Ed looks at the alarm sign in the front lawn and the barely visible camera on the side of the house.

"So how do we get in?" Ed asks, more to himself than asking a question.

"Right there." Danny points out casually, to a small decorative vent to the attic. "Hold this." Danny commands, giving Ed his rifle, still covered with Cody's jacket. Danny climbs to the vent, using power boxes and water valves for steps. He holds onto the roof with one arm and punches in the vent with his other elbow. He squeezes through the tiny vent and carefully crawls through the attic. He looks around and crawls towards the black electrical box in the corner. He takes his knife out and forces it open, exposing groups of wires. He looks to the group wrapped in blue and cuts the green and yellow wires. He closes the box back up and lifts the board behind him. He drops down into the house and opens the back door.  
"Ed!" He calls. Ed walks over from the side of the house. He hands Danny his rifle. "You sit in here on the couch and I'll hide up in the attic. Ed nods his head and sighs as Danny walks away. The young man he once knew was gone. The playful ladies man was nowhere to be found. He was replaced by a serious marine, a leader, a war hero, a man.

Danny crawls back up into the attic, crouching with his rifle pointed towards the front door. He has no visual, he has only sound. Sound of the rat scurrying behind him, sound of the cars driving by, sound of the dog barking next door, and then…the sound of the front door opening. He hears the man stop, probably because the alarm didn't go off. He hears the man take out his pistol and cock it. The man cautiously moves towards the living room and stops.

"Ed." The man says sighing and lowering his weapon. "Jesus, you scared me." He says smiling.

"I need answers." Ed says, still sitting on the couch.

"About what?" the man asks.

Ed laughs, "You know what about."

"I already told you, I can't give you any information." Ron Marleau says.

"I'm not asking you to give me the information, I'm telling you to." Ed says through gritted teeth.

Danny hears the door to the garage open quietly. He creeps towards the area of sound and lifts up the board, he sticks his head down into the house and sees a man with a 9mm pointed at Ed. Danny takes out his pistol and lets one lose, shooting the man in the face. Ron turns around and sees a man collapse to the floor. Not just any man, his coworker who had been there to watch his back.

"Haven't you learned by now Marleau? I cover all my bases." Ed says smiling. "Would you like to give me that information now?"

"How many men to you have watching me?" Marleau asks, looking around a bit paranoid.

"Right now?" Ron nods his head. "Enough." Ed stands up and walks toward the man. "What's going on?" Ed asks, more serious now. Ron doesn't respond. "Don't make me hurt you." Ed says, shaking his head. He grabs the man by his shoulder, giving him the Ed Deline death grip.

"Fine!" Ron says squealing. Ed pushes him into the chair and takes a seat on the couch, "Ed, don't freak out." He says holding up his hands "but…McCoy…McCoy is alive." Ed starts to laugh.

"Really?" Ed says, trying not to laugh too hard. "Hey buddy, come on out here." Ed calls. Danny jumps back down by the garage door and walks into the living room. "Yeah we're going to need some more information than that." Ed says smiling. Ron's eyes widen at the sight of the tall Marine walking into the room.

Ron stands up to move away. "Sit back down!" Danny shouts, putting his hand on Ron's face, shoving him back into the chair. Danny now walks over and stands beside Ed, "You were right, he does look like a weasel."

"I told you." Ed says putting his hand out. Danny sighs and hands him five dollars.

"You owe me five dollars." Danny says, pointing to Ron. Ron smiles and laughs a little.

"He's not kidding." Ed says with a serious face. Ron gets out his wallet. "Make it twenty for pain and suffering." Ed says smiling at Danny. Ron takes out a twenty dollar bill and hands it to Danny. "Half of that's mine." Ed says looking over to Danny.

"Oh come on!"

"What?" Ed says, his voice getting higher.

"Um…excuse me," Ron says, looking to the men in front of him in disbelief.

"We'll deal with this later." Ed says starring at Danny.

"Yeah ok." Danny says rolling his eyes and pocketing the twenty. "Tell us what the hell is going on!" Danny commands, changing his mood as he turns to Ron.

Ron Marleau sighs "I can't…"

"You will." Danny says taking a step toward the man.

"Ok, ok, ok." Marleau says, putting his hands up and leaning back in his chair. "Jeremy Lucas, he works for the Pentagon. He's been dealing some of our weapons to the middle east under the table…"

"He's giving them the weapons they are using to kill U.S. troops!" Danny yells, outraged. He takes another step forward, but Ed puts his hand on the young man's shoulder and pulls him back.

"Yes, we had some suspicions and that's why we sent you to Achmed's office. We need someone we could trust to get some concrete evidence. When you brought back that information we knew we had a problem. It took awhile and we tried to get someone else, but no one could pull off getting anywhere near Achmed. That's why we came back to you. When we thought you were gone we started to panic, but then you came back and went after him."

"Then what the hell was with the fucking helicopter blowing up?" Danny yells.

"Lucas, he works for the Pentagon and has a lot of pull. Obviously he has someone over there."

"Macalester." Danny says looking over to Ed. Ed nods his head.

"Why haven't you put us in protective custody if you know Lucas is coming after us?" Ed says with a skeptical look.

"Deniability, we can't admit that our own government has a traitor." Marleau says shrugging his shoulders.

"How do we fix it?" Danny says, getting that feeling of insanity, just wanting to kill someone.

"Lucas, you get him and bring him in."

"Danny laughs, "yeah, bring him in." he says rolling his eyes. "Where do we find him?"

"He has a beach house down in Georgia. He's been hiding there for a while."

"Why haven't you taken him in then?" Ed asks.

"He's got friends in high places. No matter what we charge him with he squirms his way out of it." Ron says sighing. "You're going to have to take care of this yourself. There are a lot of people who wouldn't lose any sleep if he went down." Ron adds.

Ed and Danny look to each other with a look of determination in their eyes. "Ron, always a pleasure." Ed says, turning to walk out the backdoor. He stops and lets Danny leave first. "Oh and Ron…"

"You were never here." Ron says finishing Ed's sentence. Ed nods his head and follows Danny out to the truck. They both get in and sit for a minute.

Ed looks over to Danny, "You ready for this?" Ed asks. Danny looks over to Ed and starts up the truck.

"Let's go get this fucker." He says, tearing off out of the quiet neighborhood.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Delinda continues to drive, following Dimitri. She glances back as she hears some commotion. "Well hello sleeping beauty!" Delinda says cheerfully.

Mike opens his eyes and looks around. He then shoots up to a sitting position, but quickly lies back down at the feeling of pain in his leg. "Where is everyone? Are they ok? where are we?" Mike asks in a panic.

"They're all fine." Nessa says calmly, stroking the man's head. "They're in the truck in front of us."

"What happened? The last thing I remember is shooting that guy."

"Well he got you before you got him. Dimitri fixed you all up though. Now we are on the run…again."

"Shake?" he says, hoping she didn't get away.

"In Dimitri's truck."

"Did you get anything from her?"

"A name, Danny called and we relayed the information."

"How long ago was that?"

"A couple hours ago. We haven't heard from them since." Delinda replies. Jillian looks back at Mike and begins to dig through her purse. She takes out a bottle of pills and passes two back to Mike with a bottle of water.

"What's this?" Mike asks looking at the pills in his hand.

"Vicodin." Jillian answers. "It should help with the pain."

"I love you." Mike says smiling and popping the pills in this mouth. Jillian smiles back at him. She then looks down to the glove compartment as she hears the phone ringing. She looks to Delinda before answering.

"Hello?" Jillian says.

"Hi" Ed says softly. Jillian closes her eyes and frowns.

"I thought we were done with these phone calls." She says, knowing exactly why he is calling.

Ed sighs heavily, "So did I." There's a long silence. "I love you." He says finally.

"I love you too." She replies; there's another silence. "You're gonna take care of this?" Jillian asks.

"Yes." He answers. "This is the last time, I promise."

"Just as long as you come home; both of you."

"We will." He replies simply.

Jillian fights the tears "I love you, here's Delinda." She says passing the phone to her daughter.

"Hi daddy." She says in a solemn voice.

"What's wrong?" he says, hearing the tone of her voice.

"I'm scared…" She answers.

"Why? You're safe now. They can't find you…"

"Not for me, for you two." She says cutting him off.

"We'll be ok, I promise. We'll be home before you know it." Delinda nods her head. "Here's Danny sweetie, I love you."

"I love you too." She replies. A few seconds later Danny gets on the phone. "Danny?" she asks. There is no reply. "Danny…" she says again."

Danny sits and listens to her voice. "Yeah…" he says finally. Delinda sighs in relief. "Yeah, I'm here." He says again. There's a long silence. "I'm not saying goodbye." He says curtly.

"Me either." She says matter of factly. "I'll see you soon Danny McCoy."

"I'll see you soon Delinda Deline." They both say their. 'I love yous' and hang up the phone.

"I don't know how you did it all those years." Danny says looking to Ed.

Ed shakes his head. "It wasn't easy. All the things that I've done in my life…saying goodbye to those two was always the hardest."  
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Nine hours later**  
_11:00pm Pacific Time (Delinda)  
2:00am East coast time (Danny/Ed)_

Ed drives and looks over to Danny who is fast asleep in the passenger seat. He brings his hand to Danny's shoulder and shakes him gently as he gets off the freeway. "Danny…" he says in a soft voice. "Danny…" he says again.

Danny lifts his head up quickly looking around. "Where are we?" he says starting to sit up.

"We're about fifteen minutes from his house, but I thought we could get some breakfast." Ed says pulling into a Denny's parking lot. Danny look's down at the clock.

"How long have I been out?"

"Since we switched at the Georgia border." Ed laughs.

Danny smiles, "Sorry."

Ed shakes his head, "Don't worry about it. Let's go get some grub." He says getting out of the truck.

The two men walk into the restaurant and are seated right away by a middle aged woman. "Order whatever you want, I've got this." Danny says as he looks at the menu.

"Are you sure?" Ed asks.

"Let's just say it's the start of me paying you back for helping me out." Danny says now closing the menu.

"If you say so." Ed says, still looking at the breakfast menu.

The two men order their breakfast and eat at a steady pace, both of them knowing that this could be the last meal they ever have. Danny calls to the waitress for another glass of milk. She smiles and brings him another ice cold glass. "Shipping out soldier?" she asks as she sets the glass in front of him.

"Just got back." He replies.

She nods her head and smiles, "Well thank you for what you are doing for our country." She says sincerely. Danny nods his head and smiles.

The waitress walks away and Ed looks to Danny with a prideful look on his face but says nothing. After they both finish their meal they get up and walk towards the checkout counter. Danny takes his wallet out and looks to Millie, their waitress. "What's the damage?" he says jokingly.

"It's…" she starts.

"It's on us son." The chef says walking out from the kitchen. He extends his hand and shakes Danny's. "It's the least we can do after what you have done for us."

"Thank you sir." Danny says still firmly shaking the man's hand. Danny turns and walks out of the restaurant leaving Ed with the Denny's staff.

"Is he your son?" The man asks Ed.

Ed looks out to Danny and then back to the man and replies, "Yes, he's my son."  
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Dimitri pulls off the freeway and pulls into a motel parking lot with Delinda close behind. Delinda reaches in the back and grabs a wad of hundred dollar bills from the bag, trying not to wake anyone. She steps out of the car and walks over to Dimitri. "You stay out here with them, I'll get the rooms." She says. Dimitri nods his head as she walks into the motel lobby. "Hi, I need two adjoining rooms on the main floor." She says, not even giving the clerk a chance to greet her.

The clerk nods his head and types a few things into his computer. "That'll be 175.65" he says looking up to her. "And what's the name?"

Delinda slips an extra two hundred dollars across the counter. "No name."

"Ok" the man says taking the money. "You'll be in room…" Delinda shakes her head furiously. The man nods and writes the number down on the key card holder.

She nods her head back and smiles, "thank you." She walks outside and hands a key to Dimitri. She walks over to the truck and gets in. She smiles at her mother, who is fast asleep. She gently pats her mother on the shoulder, trying to wake her. "Mom…" she says softly. Jillian looks up at her daughter. "Mom, we're going to stay at a motel tonight."

"You didn't give them a name did you?" Jillian asks sleepily, making sure her daughter hadn't made a mistake.

Delinda smiles, "No, it's all taken care of." Jillian nods her head again and gets out of the car. Delinda gets out and opens the door to the back seat. Mike lays on the air mattress fast asleep with Nessa napping right next to him. "Mike" Delinda calls, tapping his good leg. "Mike" she calls again. Mike lifts his head up and looks around. "Mike, you need to get up, we're going to stay in a motel tonight." Mike nods his head and gently wakes his sleeping girlfriend.

After a few minutes they all get settled in their rooms. Delinda, Jillian, Nessa, Mike, and Sam in one room and Dimitri, Olga, Chris, and Shake in the other. Delinda walks into Dimitri's room through the door connecting their rooms. She looks over to Shake and quickly looks away with disgust. Dimitri stands up from tying Shake to the chair and walks over to Delinda.

"I think we should take turns staying up, to make sure she doesn't try anything." Dimitri whispers to her.

Delinda nods her head in agreement, "Yeah ok, I'll take the first shift."  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ed and Danny park in a field a mile away from Lucas' house. The house is still very visible, lit up on a cliff, overlooking the sea, a few guards roaming the premises. The two men get out of the car and begin to gear up. Ed changes into some jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black San Jose Sharks hat.

Danny puts on his vest and loads it with smoke grenades, flash-bangs, and extra magazines. McCoy reaches in the trunk of the SUV and unscrews one of the side panels where a jack would normally be located. Instead of pulling out a jack he pulls out a M16. "Here" Danny says handing the rifle to Ed.

"How did you…" Ed asks pointing to the compartment in the truck.

"I taught him that." Danny says, knowing what Ed was going to ask. "Here," he says again, now pushing the gun into Ed's hands. "You can't go in there with just that little 9mm." he says shaking his head.

Ed smiles and takes the rifle, "Are you ready for this?" he says looking up to Danny.

Danny looks down to his feet and shakes his head, "Ed, don't do this. Get in the truck and go back home." He says, now looking up and trying to take the rifle away from Ed's hands.

Ed jerks the gun back away from Danny. "I'm not going anywhere. Where is this coming from?"

"I'm not going to be the reason that you die. After all the things you have survived…"

"I'll be fine and so will…"

"We both know the reality of this situation Ed! We are going to walk up to that house, just the two of us, and take on at least 20 trained FBI and CIA agents. I can't let you go in there and risk your life for me."

"Family takes care of family Danny." Ed says, putting his hand on Danny's shoulder. "You would do the same thing for me." Danny looks to the ground again and shakes his head. "Now, pull yourself together," Ed says pushing Danny playfully. "We have us some bad guys to kill."

Danny looks up to Ed and nods his head. He shuts up the truck and they start their hike up to the house.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Delinda sits up against the foot of the bed, glaring at Shake who sits tied to the chair. Rylee's head drops and she opens her eyes. The woman lifts her head up and looks around, her eyes resting on Delinda. "Having fun?" she asks smiling.

"Shut up!" Delinda says in a loud whisper. Rylee laughs and looks to the sleeping bodies in the beds behind Delinda. Delinda gets up and walks over to the woman, looking down at her with a look of pure hatred. Delinda cocks her fist and punches Rylee as hard as she can right in the face. "Go to sleep." Rylee's head drops and she passes out cold. Delinda smiles and walks back to the foot of the bed.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Danny and Ed crouch behind two large rocks about one hundred feet from the house. McCoy orders Ed to arm his rifle with the silencer. Danny takes aim upon a man on the outskirts of the property and drops him. Ed marks a man on the top balcony and fires. They each do this for a few minutes, in the end taking out ten men before taking a step onto the grounds. Danny runs ahead and takes cover behind another rock. Ed waits until McCoy reaches cover safely before running after him.

They sit just a few feet from the house now. Danny looks over to Ed, "I'll go in through the front, and you take the back." He orders.

Ed nods his head, "Ok."

"You ready for this?" Danny asks making sure that Ed hadn't changed his mind.

Ed nods his head. "Let's go."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Danny lets Ed go first since he has a further distance to travel. After about three minutes Danny hears two clicks on the Nextel, meaning that Ed's in place. Danny takes in a deep breath and stealthily walks to the front door. He clicks his own Nextel twice and they both barge into the house guns blazing. Danny kicks down the front door and takes out the two men guarding the stairs.

He hears some drop to the floor in the kitchen that Ed must have got to. McCoy moves around to the kitchen and sees three bodies on the floor. He hears a sound to his right and raises his rifle quickly. Letting out a heavy sigh he lowers his weapon as he realizes that it's only Ed.

"Something's not right." Danny says in a whisper.

Ed nods his head, "I know."

"We don't have any other option but to check the upstairs." Danny says. Ed nods his head in agreement.

The two head towards the living room quietly. Danny looks up to see a man on the balcony swing around with an M16 much like his own.

Danny's eyes widen and he shoves Ed to the floor, overturning a couch in the process. The man on the balcony opens fire before Danny and Ed even hit the floor. McCoy covers Ed with his own body, trying to get him out of harm's way. By the sound of things there is more than one shooter now. Danny looks around for something to help him. He reaches over and picks up a shard of glass from a nearby shattered coffee table. He lifts the piece of glass up and eyes the men on the balcony through the reflection.

McCoy lets go of Ed and picks up his rifle and shoots in the direction of the men. He hears one of them cry out and fall to the floor, but the bullets keep coming.

Ed looks up and crawls to the far end of the overturned couch. He takes Cody's M16 and opens fire. Danny stands up now and takes a second to take aim and another to shoot. After a few seconds the firing stops and Danny heads toward the stairs, followed by Ed. The tall marine slowly walks up the stairs, Ed behind him walking backwards; making sure that no one sneaks up on them. Danny takes the shard of glass from earlier and sticks it out in the hallway to peer around the corner. As he inches the glass out another one of Lucas' goons shoot at him. McCoy swiftly pulls back his hand and bends down to the floor. Throwing himself around the corner he takes his pistol and shoots the man twice in the head. Getting to his feet, he signals for Ed to follow.

They come to the only door in the hallway and take formation. Ed hugs the wall to the left of the door while Danny takes the right.

Danny looks over to his mentor and sighs, "It's been fun." He says smiling. Ed smiles back at his son and nods his head. "On three…" he says now looking to the wall in front of him. "One…"he closes his eyes and the only thing he can see is him and Mary when they were kids. "Two…"he says, now getting flashes 

of his men dying. "Three…" Delinda…that's all he can see; her face, the thought of kissing her, seeing her again, their future.

Ed flings the door open and Danny swings into the room. As he enters the room it's as though time has slowed down and all his senses are enhanced. He looks to his right and shoots, then his left, then dead ahead. He can feel Ed enter the room and can hear the man screaming for him to take cover. McCoy does no such thing and continues to fire.

Danny looks to Ed and back to the men in front of him. Ed stands up and looks to Danny in amazement as he takes out the last guy. Danny looks around and lowers his weapon as realizes that they are all dead.

"Where the hell is he?" Danny says looking to Ed.

"I'm right here Mr. McCoy." Jeremy Lucas says smiling from the doorway. Danny twirls around and raises his rifle, but Ed forces it back down with the push of his hand.

"Ed Deline…all these years of hearing about your incredible 'survival' stories…and now here we are, you about to die with your…protégé…here." He says with a smile.

Danny raises his rifle again, "Danny, no." Ed says pushing the rifle back down.

"Yeah, bad dog." Lucas says shaking his finger at Danny.

Ed let's go of the rifle and nods his head to Danny. The young marine lets a bullet loose in Lucas' foot. Jeremy falls to the floor and looks up to Danny laughing. McCoy walks over to the man slowly, looking down at him with a look of…bewilderment. The young man just couldn't comprehend how someone could put another human being through this.

"Why?" Danny says kneeling in front of Lucas.

Jeremy laughs and closes his eyes. "Because you knew my secret." He says simply.

"What about Mary….and my father? They didn't know anything!" Danny says, now feeling that feeling of hatred start to rise.

"Casualty of war…"

"THERE'S ONLY A WAR BECAUSE YOU ARE PROVIDING THE ENEMY WITH WEAPONS!" Danny screams.

Jeremy starts to laugh again. "He's just like you Ed. He can only see in black and white."

Danny stands up and kicks the man in the face. "Shut the FUCK up!" he growls.

Lucas moans and spits out a tooth, along with a mouthful of blood. "I see you have his temper as well." He laughs. "Your father and your little girlfriend were just incentives to get you to go after Achmed. We needed you out of the picture. Apparently I overestimated that weasel."

"So that's it? You tried to kill me and my family just to cover up your tracks?" Danny asks in disbelief.

"I couldn't let you take me down! I couldn't let you take me down!"Lucas yells, now getting frustrated and trying to stand up. "You think I was just going to let some security guard walk in and take down years of my work?" he says frowning. "You are a nobody and your father was a nobody, and your slutty little girlfriend was a whore!" He screams, almost falling to the ground again.

Danny uses all his might not to shoot the guy in the head right then and there. "What was your plan?" Danny says, looking to the man as if he were retarded. "You came in here while we were still armed, said we're going to die, and then let me shoot you? After all your careful planning that seems like a pretty stupid move."

Jeremy laughs again and rips open his suit coat, revealing enough C4 to take out the next two blocks. "All I have to do his push this button." He says pointing to the button located on the C4. Danny looks to Ed and without hesitation looks back to Lucas and pulls the trigger, shooting the man three times in the face; the impact of the bullets causing the man to fall backward.

"The classics are in black and white dirtbag." Danny growls; he then looks to Ed and falls to his knees.

Ed walks over and pats the young man on the shoulders. "It's over." He says quietly, "it's over."

Danny nods his head and looks around the room. "Let's go home." He says simply and stands up. With that, the two men walk out of the room, stepping over Lucas' body, and make their way to the truck. As they get in Danny looks over to Ed in the passenger seat with a confused look on his face.

"What?" Ed asks looking back at him.

"Deerpark 508…" he says slowly. "That's what Cody said just before he died."

"What's it mean?" Ed asks, shrugging his shoulders.

Danny shakes his head, "I don't know, but I intend to find out."  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Danny drives and glances back to Cody's dead body. The tall marine sighs and throws his head against the headrest. "What the hell is it?" Danny says in frustration. Ed shakes his head, trying to think of what it could mean. "You have your PDA?" Danny asks, looking to his mentor.

Ed nods his head and reaches for it. "You want me to Google it?" he asks as he opens a new window.

"Yeah, search for Deerpark Virginia." Danny replies.

"There's Deerpark water, Deerpark car dealership, Deerpark Ice Arena…"

"That's it!" Danny says, looking excitedly over to Ed. "the Ice Arena, that's it."

"How do you know?" Ed says clicking on the link.

"Cody's a hockey freak. Any chance he gets he's on the ice. That's got to be what he was talking about."

"Well what's the 508 then?"

"I don't know…locker number maybe, membership ID, locker combination, could be a number of things." He says sighing. "Where is it?" he asks.

"Langley Virginia." Ed replies. "Go to the airport , I'll have the plane waiting so we don't have to drive all the way there."

Danny nods his head and takes the next exit to the airport and pulls into the private hangers. "How's the plane here already?" Danny says looking to Ed confused.

"I called on the way to Lucas' while you were sleeping. I figured we might need a quick getaway." Ed answers, now getting out of the car.

The two men grab their gear and hand it to the guys loading the plane. "What about Cody?" Danny says looking to the body in the backseat.

"Ed looks to one the men by the plane and waves his hand. The young man pulls a coffin on a stretcher out and rolls it over to the car. "I made a few calls while you were sleeping." Ed says shrugging his shoulders.

Ed and Danny awkwardly move Cody from the car to the casket. McCoy wipes his brow and looks to Ed, "Thank you." He says sincerely. The older man nods his head. Danny walks the casket over to the cargo hold and watches as the men strap the coffin in securely. As the marine stands with a blank stare Ed walks up behind him, placing his hand on his protégés shoulder.

"We should get going pal." Ed says quietly. Danny nods his head and turns to walk towards the front of the plane.

The two men walk up the steps to the plane, taking in one last breath of the crisp morning air before entering. As Danny walks in and sits on the couch he reaches into his pack and takes out the satellite phone.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Delinda sits on the floor, her back still propped up against the foot of the bed. Her head drops as she starts to nod off, but is quickly awakened at the sound of the phone ringing. She reaches over and picks up the phone.

"Hello?" she whispers, trying not to wake the others.

"Hi…" Danny says simply.

At that one simple word Delinda's face floods with tears. The sound of his voice, knowing he's ok, all the worry fleeing her mind, the emotions were just too much. She takes a look at Shake and makes sure she's asleep before walking outside. "You're ok?" she asks, between heavy sobs.

Danny smiles and replies, "Yes."

"and Daddy?" she asks, now getting a little worried.

"He's right next to me."

"You're on the way home?" she asks as she wipes a few tears from her face.

"One more quick stop and then we come home."

"Something's wrong." She says, listening to the tone of his voice.

"Not anymore." Danny says with a sigh. "When I come home everything will be fine again." He says, more trying to convince himself than Delinda.

"How long?"

"This time tomorrow we'll all be back home." He says closing his eyes, picturing all of his friends. "You can all go home now." He adds

"What about Shake?" Delinda asks looking back into the motel room.

"Do whatever you think is right." He says putting all his faith in her.

"What's that mean?" Delinda asks, wanting a clear answer.

"It means whatever you do will be right." Danny says with a calming tone.

Delinda sighs and hesitates at her next question. "Are you sure you're ok?" she asks, worrying at the tone of his voice.

"I'm sure." He says with a low voice. There's a short pause and Danny looks to Ed. "Hey your dad wants to talk to you." He says quickly handing the phone to Ed.

"Hello?" Ed says as he brings the phone to his ear.

"He's not ok, is he?" Delinda says sighing.

"No." Ed replies simply.

"As bad as before?" She asks, referring to the first time Danny came home.

"I don't know yet…I hope not." He says looking over to Danny, who seems to be asleep already.

"Daddy, those pictures…"she says through heavy sobs. "They tortured him."

Ed lets out a heavy sigh and brings his hand to his own chest where the marks from his torturers lay. "We'll be home soon." He says, trying to avoid her previous comment.

"Ok," she says wiping the tears from her face. "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too sweetheart, I'll see you soon." He says with a deep breath and disconnects the call.


	19. Chapter 19

**Authors Notes: ****Yes! The time has finally come; Danny and Ed come home! I really hope you enjoy the reunion. Please read and review. **

**Chapter 19**

_**Two hours later**_

_**7:00 am Danny and Ed time  
4:00 am Delinda and the gang time**_

Ed and Danny pull into the parking lot of the Deerpark Ice Arena. McCoy steps out of the car and looks up at the building, letting out a heavy sigh. Ed walks around the car and stands beside his protégé. "Let's go." He commands, trying to snap Danny out of his trance.

The younger man follows Ed into the building and walks slowly through the hall, looking at all the photos on the walls. He stops and walks over to one that catches his eye.

Ed turns around to say something to Danny but stops when he realizes that he's not there. He looks around and sees McCoy starring at a photo of a hockey team on the wall. Ed furrows his brow and makes his way over to Danny and looks at the picture. "What are we looking at?" He asks softly.

Danny points to one of the players in the back; tall, short brown hair, well built, smiling, happy. "That's Cody." He replies.

Ed nods his head and stands there looking at the picture for a few more moments before he breaks the deafening silence. "What do you think the 508 means?" Ed says looking to his protégé.

"I think it's a locker number." He says, not taking his eyes off the photo.

"Let's go." Ed says clapping Danny on the shoulder. The two men walk over to the help desk and are greeted by a young man in his early twenties.

"How can I help you gentlemen?" He asks cheerfully.

"Cody Howard, do you know if he ever plays here?" Danny asks with a slight scowl.

"Yeah, yeah, all the time. Why?" he asks, with a confused look on his face.

"Cody was a good friend of mine."

"Was?" The man says with a scowl.

Danny lowers his head and closes his eyes for a second before telling the man. "Cody died, two days ago." He says with a solemn tone.

The man behind the counter looks to Danny in disbelief and collapses in his chair. He looks around and shakes his head in a state of shock. "How?"

Danny looks to Ed for some sort of answer. "Car accident." Ed says convincingly, half telling the truth.

"Wow…" The man says again.

"I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?" Danny asks.

"Oh sorry…Roary, Roary White." The man says standing up to shake McCoy's hand. "And you are…?"

"Lieutenant McCoy, and this is my friend Ed Deline." He says motioning towards Ed, who reaches his hand out to shake Roary's hand. "Listen Roary, did Cody have some sort of locker here or something?" Danny asks getting to business.

"He had more than just a locker; he lives in an apartment above the rink." Roary says pointing upstairs.

"Apartment 508?" Danny asks.

"No, 23." The young man says with a scowl. "How did you know Cody?" he asks, getting defensive.

"Cody and I grew up and served together over in…"

"Oh…Danny, right?" Roary says, now understanding.

Danny looks to Ed slightly concerned. "..yeah."

"Cody told me about you. You and…what was her name? Mary?"

Danny scowls for a moment but nods his head. "Yeah, we all grew up together in Vegas."

There's a long awkward pause, none of them knowing quite what to say. "Would you like to take a look around Cody's place?" Roary asks breaking the silence as he reaches for a key in the desk drawer.

"Yeah that'd be great." Danny and Ed follow Roary up the stairs to a dimly lit hallway.

"Here we are." Roary says opening the door. "I'll leave you two to look around." He says, walking back down the stairs.

Danny walks in and starts looking through all of the cabinets. Ed walks into Cody's bedroom and starts opening dresser drawers. "What exactly are we looking for?" Ed shouts to Danny.

"I don't know, we'll know it when we see it." Danny shouts back. Ed looks around the room to see dirty clothes all over the floor and the clean ones in a large laundry basket.

"He wasn't a very neat kid was he?" Ed says kicking a t-shirt aside.

Danny laughs, "No, he wasn't."

Ed walks over and opens the closet door to see all of Cody's dress blues neatly hanging in plastic covers, and his greens neatly hanging beside them. Ed smiles and pushes them to the side, revealing a safe in the wall. "Danny!" Ed calls. "I've got something."

Danny walks in and moves towards Ed, looking at the safe over the older man's shoulder. He takes a deep breath and moves in front of Ed, getting closer to the heavy metal box. Reaching his hand out to the safe he uses 05-00-08 as the combination. _**Click!**___Danny looks to Ed with hope of some sign of encouragement. Ed complies and nods his head at the tall marine. McCoy opens the safe and his eyes widen at the sight in front of him.

McCoy looks back at Ed with a confused look on his face. Ed just shakes his head in disbelief. "There's an envelope too." Ed says, pointing to a small yellow envelope in the safe. Danny reaches out and grabs the envelope with his name on it and carefully runs his finger along the inside, ripping open the seal and exposing its contents.

The marine walks over to the beat up couch and takes a seat as he takes the piece of paper out of the envelope.

"Danny McCoy, you are the only family I have left. I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me, for being my family. Ever since we were kids you have always looked out for me and kept me out of trouble, for the most part.

I don't have a lot which is why I don't have a will, this letter is as close to a will as you're going to get. In the safe, as you have figured out, there is close to a million dollars in cash. I didn't steal it if that's what you're thinking, haha. Half of it is from my parent's life insurance policy and what they left me after they died. The other half is from their house that I sold in Las Vegas last year. You know I don't trust the banks so here is all the money in my safe.

Danny I want you to have it. You are my only family and I can't think of a more deserving guy. You were there for me when my parents died, and you were there for me in Iraq, you have always been there for me. This is my way of being there for you.

Thanks again McCoy,  
Cody"

Danny drops the letter and looks over to Ed in disbelief. Danny stands up and hands Ed the letter so he can read it. While Ed reads the letter Danny walks over to the safe and stares. "Can you believe this?" Danny says, still starring at the money.

Ed walks over and stands behind Danny as he finishes reading the letter. "What's he mean he doesn't have a lot? He's got a million bucks in the safe." Ed says confusedly. "What about the other stuff here?" Ed asks turning to face the rest of the apartment.

"Donate it I guess." Danny says breaking his stare. He moves towards Cody's bed and opens the night stand drawer, looking for anything else that he might want to take with him. He reaches in and pulls out a framed picture of him, Cody, Mary, and Gregg from when they were kids. Danny smiles and takes the 

picture and walks back over to the closet. He bends down and grabs one of Cody's green duffle bags and pours all of the money from the safe in it. Danny hands Ed the bag and reaches back in the closet to get Cody's dress blues. "I guess that's it." Danny says looking back to Ed.

The two men walk downstairs where they find Roary waiting. Danny hands the man a thousand dollars and asks him to take care of Cody's apartment, donating his things, and cleaning the apartment out. McCoy then gives him his cell number in case he comes across anything he thinks Danny might want. With that Ed and Danny walk out of the arena.  
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_**9:00 am Ed and Danny time  
6:00 am Delinda and the gang time**_

Delinda rushes around both rooms packing up everyone's belongings. Not trying to be stealthy, she begins to wake everyone. Jillian wakes up and looks around the room to see Delinda throwing everything into bags. Startled at the sight of her daughter rushing around Jillian jumps out of bed, "What's wrong, what is it?" She asks starting to throw things in bags herself.

Delinda stops what she's doing and smiles. "Nothing's wrong." She says beaming. "They're ok, they're coming home." She says letting a tear escape the corner of her eye. "We can all go home."

Jillian smiles and hugs her daughter tightly. The rest of the gang starts to wake up at the sound of all the commotion. "We're going home!" Delinda shouts. They all smile and get up quickly packing their things, anxious to get home.

Twenty minutes later they have the trucks all packed up and Delinda pulls Dimitri aside. "What are we going to do with Shake?" She asks.

Dimitri sighs and looks over to the woman tied to the chair. "I've called one of our guys, he going to come pick her up. She's going away for a very long time."

Delinda sighs with relief now that she doesn't have to make the decision. "Well I guess we better get going." She says pulling him in for a hug. "Thank you for everything." She says sincerely.

"Don't mention it." He replies. Jillian, Mike, Sam, and Nessa all say their 'goodbyes' and 'thank yous' and then get in the truck to head home. For the first few minutes it is silent, awkwardly silent.

"Is he ok?" Mike asks breaking the silence.

"Physically…yes."Delinda replies.

"Mentally…?" Mike asks.

"It's going to take some time for him to recover; both mentally and physically."

"I thought you said he was ok, that he wasn't hurt?" Sam says.

"He was…he was hurt pretty badly." Delinda says thinking of the pictures she had seen. "Nothing that he can't recover from, but…." She trails off.  
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_**Six hours later**_

_12:00 in the afternoon Vegas Time_

Delinda, Jillian, Sam, Nessa, and Mike all wait anxiously in Danny's apartment. At every sound they jump to their feet in hopes of it being Danny.

Danny and Ed ride up in the elevator silently. They are both startled and brought out of their trance as they hear the ding of the elevator when they reach their floor. They walk to the door of Danny's apartment and stop. Danny takes in a deep breath and looks to Ed who nods his head. McCoy places his hand on the door handle and pushes the door open.

As the door opens his family jumps to their feet and Delinda hurriedly walks to the door. Danny stands in the doorway with Delinda just inches from his face. He looks at her longingly for a second before pulling her in tightly for a kiss. She wraps her arms around him and runs her hands through his hair as the tears stream down her face. Suddenly her legs give out and she collapses into his arms as they both fall to the floor. "I buried you…" she sobs.

Danny closes his eyes and places his chin on the top of her head. "I know…" he says simply. "….but I'm here now."

Delinda looks up to her man and kisses him again. Remembering that her friends are in the room, she stands up and straightens out her shirt while Danny wipes the tears from her face. She turns to face her mother who is smiling at her while standing next to Ed.

The tall marine looks to Mike who stands in front of him propped up on crutches, but is still holding Nessa's hand. He then looks to Sam who is trying to hide her tears and smiles. McCoy walks over and opens his arms, embracing his family in a big hug. He looks to Jillian for a moment and waves her over. She looks to him with a smile, walking over to join in on the love fest. He stands there holding onto them all tightly, not ever wanting to let them go.

Delinda stands back with her father and watches as a man gets a second chance at life, not just any man, her man. "He's back…" she whispers to her father. Ed sighs and wraps his arm around her shoulder.

"Almost…"  
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	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

_**A few hours later**_

Danny and his family all sit around the apartment eating pizza and filling Danny in on the events that have taken place while he was away. McCoy has changed out of his greens and into some jeans and a T-shirt. The Marine seems to be relaxed, talking and smiling, but not the same man that he was when he left Vegas months ago. Occasionally there are glimpses of a very hostile man, angry and violent, but he seems to recover quickly. The new man that he has become and the glimpses of this hostility do not go unnoticed.

"How's your leg?" Danny asks, pointing to Mike. For the first time talking about something that has to do with the past few weeks.

The room goes quiet and Mike looks from Nessa to Ed and then to Danny. "It's good…" He replies simply.

There's a long awkward pause, no one knowing quite what to say. Danny takes in a deep breath and lowers his head, looking to the floor. "I'm sorry…" he says now raising his head to face them. "I'm sorry."

"Danny…we don't blame you for anything that has…." Mike starts.

"Well you should!" Danny shouts, cutting Mike off. "I'm sorry for putting you all in danger, I'm sorry for getting Mike shot, I'm sorry for making you all drop your lives, I'm sorry for…I'm sorry for everything." He says mumbling the last bit. "I just wanted you to know that. If there's anything that I have learned over the past year it's that you can't put things off, you never know how long you have."

They all nod their heads in agreement at Danny's last statement. After a few more minutes of silence Nessa stands up, "Well we should get going, Mike has a doctor's appointment and we have an appointment with a realtor."

"A realtor?" Danny says standing up to hand Mike his crutches.

Nessa smiles and looks to Mike, "We're moving in together." Mike says beaming.

"Congratulations!" Danny says shaking Mikes hand and then hugging Nessa.

"Thanks, but we owe it all to you. What you said in those letters really opened our eyes." Mike says graciously.

Danny nods his head and looks to the floor for a moment. "Call me and let me know what the doc says about your leg." He says changing the subject. They both nod their head and give the marine a hug before they go.

"We're really glad you're ok Danny." Nessa whispers in his ear. Danny nods his head again and the new couple leaves. He turns around to face everyone else, Delinda in the kitchen cleaning everything up, Jillian sitting on the couch looking at Sam who is practically falling asleep on Jillian's shoulder. Then 

there is Ed who is sitting in a chair in the corner of the room starring at Danny. Danny catches Ed starring and looks away nervously.

"Ed, we should get going, and probably drop Sam off at home." Jillian says pushing Sam off of her to the other side of the couch. Ed laughs and gets up from his chair, walking over to his wife. He takes her hand, helping her up from the couch and tries to wake Sam but has no such luck.

Danny walks over and picks Sam up, "Get the door." Danny says nodding his head. "I'll just carry her to the car." Ed quickly walks to the door and opens it, allowing Danny to head down the hallway.

"Here take the keys, I'll be down in a minute" Ed says, handing Jillian the keys to the car.

Jillian nods her head and waves to her daughter in the kitchen. "Bye sweetie!" she calls.

Delinda waves back, "Bye mom."

Ed watches as Jillian leaves the room and then turns to his daughter. "You call me if it gets like last time." he says quietly, referring to Danny's reaction when he was previously discharged.

Delinda nods her head, "I will."

"Call me tomorrow too; let me know how he's doing."

Delinda smiles at her father's concern for Danny, "I will daddy, he'll be fine."

Ed nods his head and sighs as he kisses his daughter goodbye. He turns back towards the door as he hears Danny reenter the apartment. "That girl sure can sleep." Danny jokes.

Ed laughs and walks over to the door, "Well I better get going, can't keep the ladies waiting," he jokes.

Danny laughs and looks to Ed, "Thanks Ed."

"No problem kid." Ed says pulling Danny in for a quick hug. "Call me if you need anything." He says, now waving goodbye as he leaves the apartment.

McCoy nods his head and shuts the door behind his mentor, turning to face the rest of his apartment. "You don't have to do that; I'll clean it in the morning." He says walking over to Delinda.

"I don't mind." She says softly. She finishes throwing away the pizza plates and wiping down the counter when she looks to Danny, trying to think of something to say. "I have some of your stuff at my house." She says quickly. "I was going through your stuff and couldn't bear to part with it. A few other things were donated, but they were so ugly they are probably still at the goodwill." She laughs.

Danny smiles and shakes his head. "I would have thought my apartment would have sold by now." He says looking around.

"Yeah well, I was having a hard time throwing your stuff away." She says in a low voice, now looking to the ground.

Danny nods his head, feeling guilty for everything she has gone through. "Can I ask you a question?" he asks. Delinda nods her head. "Where is my headstone?"

Delinda closes her eyes, trying not to let the tears come, "Between your father's and Mary's" she replies.

Danny sighs in frustration, angry at the fact that he wasn't there for his own father's funeral. "My father's service…was it…was it nice?"

Delinda can't control her tears anymore, "Yes…"she sobs. "It was beautiful."

"What about Mary's house?" Danny asks, now taking a seat on the couch where Delinda joins him.

"It sold, quickly. Her things are in storage just like you asked." There's a short silence, Delinda looks over to the counter and sees her keys sitting there. "and your car…"she says getting up to get her keys. "Is fantastic, I just changed the oil." She says taking the keys off her key ring. "Don't even ask how many times Mike asked to drive your car." She says laughing.

"You didn't let him do anything to it, did you?"

"Are you kidding? After he practically set it on fire at that barbeque." She says smiling. Danny laughs and for a moment Delinda can see a glimpse of his old self. She reaches over and grabs his hand that is still half way wrapped in bandages. "How do they look?" she asks, looking deep into Danny's eyes.

Danny shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know." He says with a low voice.

Delinda runs her hands over the bandages and starts to unravel them. Danny closes his eyes and looks away, afraid of what he might see. She takes the last layer of cloth away and smiles at the fingers neatly healing. "Oh...they look good." She says smiling. "The nails are coming back nice and strong. Just give it some time." Danny looks down at his fingers and shudders at the memory.

She looks up to the marine and runs her hand on the right side of his face, tracing the scars and scabs. "Why did they tell us you were gone?" she asks quietly. McCoy lets out a heavy sigh and shakes his head. "You don't want to talk about it…" she says for him.

Danny shakes his head again. "You'll stay tonight?" he asks, lifting his head so that his eyes meet hers.

Delinda nods her head, "If you want me to." Danny nods his head again and looks around the apartment. "Why don't you go take a shower, I'll finish cleaning up out here." She says standing up, starting to move towards the bar.

Danny stands up quickly and pulls her back, holding her tightly in his arms. "I love you." He says sincerely, just before giving her a long passionate kiss.

She kisses him back and pulls away, "I love you too McCoy." She says smiling. "Now go take a shower." She says smacking his butt. He smiles and walks away, stealing one last look at her before entering the bathroom. Delinda smiles at him and picks up a nearby dishrag to wipe down the counter.

After a few minutes Delinda looks around at the sound of the phone ringing. She searches for the remote phone for a moment, before she finds it behind a pillow on the couch. "Hello?" she answers politely.

"D, it's Ness." Nessa says cheerfully.

"Hey Ness, what's up?" Delinda questions.

"We just got out of the doctor's office and he says Mike will be fine. He said luckily it was only a flesh wound; so Mike should be up and running in a month or two."

"That's great Nessa, Danny will be happy to hear that."

"How is he?"

Delinda sighs, not really knowing how to answer that question. "I don't know." She replies honestly. "Only time will tell." She then hears the shower turn off and she looks to the bathroom door. "He's getting out of the shower, I'll call you back." She says hanging up the phone.

McCoy walks out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Delinda gasps at the sight of the electrocution marks all over his back and torso. Luckily he doesn't hear her and keeps walking into his bedroom. The blonde closes her eyes and brings her hand to her mouth, letting a few tears escape her eyes.

She pulls herself together as Danny walks back out into the kitchen.

"We really take showers for granted." He jokes. Delinda smiles in return, but can't get the thought of what happened to him out of her mind. "What's the matter?" he asks, picking up on the distant look in her eye.

Delinda shakes her head, "nothing." She replies.

"You know, for being the daughter of a spy…you really suck at lying." He says smiling. Delinda laughs and looks up to him with a fake grin. "What's wrong?" he asks again.

"I saw…I saw pictures of them…" she stops and points to his fingers and then to his chest.

Danny's face goes white and his stomach overturns. "You saw pictures?" he says confusedly.

The tall blonde nods her head, "someone broke into your apartment the night before we found out you were alive. I was here when they broke in…" she stops for a moment to take in a deep breath. "Later I was cleaning up the mess they made and I found an envelope they had dropped." She says, her voice now getting a little shaky. "It was a lot of photos. There were a lot of us, Sam, Nessa, Mike, me, Daddy. Someone had been following us. Then there were…others." She says with tears now streaming down her face.

"Where are they now?" He asks.

"Daddy has them." She says wiping her cheek.

Danny nods his head in relief. He then brings his hand to her face and wipes the tears away. "I'm sorry you had to see that." he says pulling her in for hug.

She sniffles a bit and then pulls away. "How do you do that?" she says with a frustrated tone.

Danny smiles and furrows his brow, "Do what?"

"Act strong, when you're the one who should be breaking down?"

"I've done my share of breaking down." He says in a low voice.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ed and Jillian walk into their home silently and set the bags down. Ed sighs heavily and follows Jillian into the living room. They both sit on the couch and Ed puts his head back, closing his eyes. "I'm so tired; I could sleep for a week." He groans.

Jillian smiles and grabs his hand. "What happened?" she asks quietly.

Ed sighs and lifts his head to look at his wife. "We took care of the guy responsible." He says simply.

"And…" she says inquiring for more information.

"…and Danny called in a favor from a friend he grew up with….he didn't make it…"

Jillian sighs and shakes her head. "That's not the only thing bothering you." she says, knowing that he needed to get something off his chest.

"This whole thing is just a mess." He says in frustration.

"There's something else though…" she says, reading him.

Ed smiles, "You know me too well."

Jillian smiles back, "well what is it?"

"He's not the kid who left us. He risked his own life at least twice this trip to save mine." He sighs and continues on with his story. "While we were driving Danny reached up in the front seat and shoved my head down. Someone was following us and started to shoot. When we got out of the car later there was bullet hole in my headrest."

Jillian looks up at her husband and touches his face as she realizes how close she came to losing him. "And the other time….?"

"We were at this guys house, downstairs. A guy swung around on the balcony above us and opened fire. Danny pushed me to the floor and covered me with his own body."

Jillian smiles at him, "Why does that bother you?"

Ed shakes his head, "I'm just really proud of the kid."  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Danny looks down at Delinda who has now fallen asleep against his shoulder and smiles. "D" he whispers, trying to wake her enough to get her to bed. After another failed attempt he puts her arm around his neck and carries her to his bed, or what has been her bed for the past few months.

He looks down at her and smiles as he covers her with a blanket. Taking one last glance he walks out to the living room and makes himself comfortable on the couch.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_**Nine hours later**_

Danny lies on the couch still, his eyes wide open. He yawns from exhaustion as he didn't get any sleep the night before. The tall marine stands up and looks to his room where Delinda is still past out from the night before. The man laughs to himself and reaches over to pick his shorts up off the sofa and slips them on over his boxer-briefs. Quietly walking over to the counter he picks up his keys and heads out of the apartment; locking the door behind him. As the marine spots his car in the parking garage he can't help but smile. He runs his hand over the door and grips the handle tightly before opening it. As he sits down in the familiar seat he runs his hand over the steering wheel and fires her up. With a huge grin on his face the man tears out of the parking lot like he did when he was sixteen.

After a few turns and stops lights he arrives at a Starbucks. As he enters the building he looks around and to his surprise sees Sam sitting at the bar looking out the window, playing with her cell phone. He walks over and takes a seat beside her. The feisty brunette looks over and smiles brightly at Danny.

"Heeeyyyy." She says reaching over to hug her friend.

Danny complies and hugs her, not used to Sam showing any signs of affection, especially towards him. "How are you doing?" Danny asks, remembering Delinda saying that Sam hadn't taken the whole situation very well.

"Well, I have ten huge clients who are pissed at me because I ditched them with no warning or explanation." She says still playing with her phone.

Danny nods his head and doesn't respond. Sam looks up from her phone and looks to Danny. "What about you, you ok?"

McCoy nods his head, "yeah." He replies simply.

There's a long silence as Danny looks away awkwardly, "Delinda worked with Ed, didn't she?" Sam says not looking up from her phone. Danny furrows his brow and looks back to Sam confusedly. "In the CIA…" she says moving her arms for emphasis.

"Delinda?" he says in disbelief.

"Oh…you don't know. Well that's not surprising. Ed doesn't trust you enough to tell you something like that." she says, now going back to her old self, taking stabs at Danny's ego.

"Why do think Delinda worked with Ed?" Danny asks still very confused, yet upon hearing the accusation it makes perfect sense.

"I don't know, I have to get back. My whales need me." She says getting up and walking towards the door. As she moves to push open the door to leave she stops. "I'm glad you're back Danny." She says turning back to face McCoy for a split second.

Danny smiles and nods his head. "me too."


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chapter 21**_

Danny walks up to his apartment and opens the door. As he enters he sets the two coffees down on the counter and glances into his room. When he doesn't see Delinda sleeping on the bed he walks over to his room. "D…" He calls, as he approaches the bedroom. "Delinda?" He calls again after no answer. "Del…."

"Ahhhhhhh!" Delinda screams as she walks out of the bathroom and into the bedroom completely naked.

Danny's mouth drops as he stares, "I…I'm sorry." He says shaking his head.

"Don't just stand there, get out of here!" she yells, trying to cover herself up with her hands. Danny turns hurriedly and rushes out of the room. As he walks into the kitchen he can't help but smile.

A few seconds later Delinda walks out in her jeans and one of Danny's old t-shirts smiling. "Sorry I freaked out." She says laughing. "You just startled me."

"No no, I'm sorry. I called out looking for you, but you didn't…"

"Don't worry about it. Plus, it's nothing you haven't seen." She says with a flirtatious tone.

Danny smiles and looks away awkwardly. "I got you a coffee." He says picking the cup up off the counter and handing it to Delinda.

"Thanks." The two sit down at the bar overlooking the kitchen and sip their coffee silently.

"You worked with your dad, didn't you?" Danny says, now looking to her more seriously.

Delinda turns her head sharply and looks to Danny with a scowl. "Where's this coming from?"

"Did you or didn't you?" he says wanting a straight answer.

"For a few years, yes."

"Nessa too?" he says nodding his head like he does when he gets frustrated.

Delinda nods her head, not sure if she should be telling him this.

"Are you still?"

"No, Nessa and I got out a few years ago."

"Why?" He says, trying to take in all of this information.

"We didn't want the life that daddy had. Leaving your family behind, risking your life for a reason you don't entirely understand. That's when we moved to Vegas."

"and…." Danny says, knowing that wasn't the only reason.

"Shake and I were partners. About a year after we started working together everything started to go wrong. My cover was blown on every mission we were assigned to. Daddy would have to come in and bail me out. A year later I discovered that she was selling me out."

Danny sighs and looks over to her. "What about Nessa? Why'd she get out?"

"She thinks that they had something to do with her dad's death."

"Did they?" Danny asks, full aware of Ed's relationship with Nessa's father.

"If you're asking if daddy did it, no. But if you're asking if the CIA had something to do with it, then yes." There is a short pause while Danny tries to process the information he has just been given. "Where is all of this coming from?" She says trying to look in his eyes.

Danny sighs and looks to her, "Sam"

"Sam?" She says confused.

"When I went to get coffee this morning Sam was at the coffee shop. We were talking and I guess while you guys were away she picked up on something because she started asking me questions."

Delinda lets out a deep sigh in frustration, "Great, now Sam knows. Do you think she's said anything to anyone else?"

Danny shakes his head, "I doubt it, but you may want to say something to make sure she doesn't."

Delinda nods her head in agreement and looks up to Danny. As her eyes meet his she freezes. The look of longing in his eyes does not go unnoticed. She moves her hand and places it on top of his. McCoy looks down at her hand and slowly moves in for a kiss. As he does so Delinda lifts her hands to his face and embraces his kiss.

She pulls away for a split second and rests her forehead against his, "I love you." She whispers, still holding his face in her hands.

Danny smiles and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, "I love you too." He says now moving in for another kiss.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ed moves around in his oversized closet, looking for something to wear to the cemetery. He pulls a long sleeved collared shirt off a hanger and slips it on over his white undershirt. As he walks into his bedroom buttoning up his shirt he smiles at the sight of his sleeping wife. He moves over to the bed and sits down on the edge to slip on his shoes. While bending over to tie his shoes he sighs in frustration, thinking of how easy it used to be. Now it's a chore to try and tie his own shoes.

Jillian awakes to the smell of her husband's cologne and smiles. She lifts her head and looks around for him. The tired blonde moves over behind Ed and starts to rub his shoulders.

"Getting old is a bitch." He says matter of factly.

Jillian laughs out loud and nods her head. "Where's that coming from?"

Ed sighs and points down to his shoes. "My back hurts just trying to put my damned shoes on."

"You're probably just sore from kicking the bad guys' butts." She says smiling and kissing his neck; trying to cheer him up.

Ed laughs to himself, "You're a good liar." He says laughing.

"You pick up a few things when you're married to a spy." She says with a grin. Jillian smiles and moves around to sit on his lap, "You're the youngest old guy I know."

Ed grins and kisses her back. "I have to get to the cemetery." He says after staring at her for a few moments.

"The cemetery?" she says with a scowl.

Ed nods his head. "PFC Ryan is still under Danny's headstone, and Danny's friend Cody is being sent there today." He says with a sigh.

Jillian nods her head and looks to the floor. "Danny's going with you?"

Ed looks to his watch, "yeah, I'm going to pick him up. I'll be home as soon as I can." He says now standing up. Jillian looks to her husband with a skeptical look. "I promise." He says laughing. He then grabs his suit coat and heads downstairs. As he walks towards the front door he realizes that he forgot his cell phone upstairs. "Jill…" he starts to shout but stops when he turns around and she's right there, holding his phone in her hand. "I'll be home by four, I promise." He says leaning in for a peck on the cheek.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Delinda rests her head on Danny's chest while he strokes her hair. She runs her finger over his bare chest and looks up to him. "Why did you do it?" She asks.

"Well I thought you liked it." He jokes.

Delinda laughs and hits him playfully, "Not that." she giggles.

"Then what?" he asks curiously.

"Why didn't you tell us you were alive?"

Danny sighs and looks away. He knew this question would come, it was just a matter of time; but now that it was here he didn't know quite what to say. "because…because I couldn't put you through it twice."

"Put me through what twice?" She says confusedly.

"You lost me once, or at least you thought you had. When I went after Achmed I didn't know if I was going to make it back. I didn't want you to have to go through losing me twice." He says running his hand over her face.

Delinda nods her head in understanding and looks to the clock on the nightstand. "You're going to be late." Danny looks over to the clock and slowly gets out of bed. "Don't rush or anything." She says laughing.

Danny smiles as he slips his boxer briefs back on and heads towards the bathroom. "I'm going to hop in the shower. If your dad gets here tell him I'll be out in a bit. Oh and make sure to put some pillows and a blanket out on the couch to make sure he knows I slept out there." He says pointing out into the living room.

"Danny, it doesn't matter." She says smiling.

"Yes it does, I don't want him to think that I took advantage of you."

"but you did, twice." She says with a flirtatious grin.

"Yeah but still, how awkward." He says shrugging his shoulders as he bends down to give her another kiss before getting in the shower.

Delinda laughs and nods her head. "Ok"

A few minutes later she hears the shower going and gets up to get dressed. Just as she's slipping a shirt on she hears a knock at the door. "Hold on!" She yells towards the door as she throws a couple pillows on the couch and hits them to make them look used, even though he really did sleep on the couch.

She looks through the peep hole just before answering the door. "hey daddy." She says opening the front door to allow her father in.

"Hi." He says half surprised.

"Danny's in the shower, he'll be out in a minute." She says walking over to the kitchen.

Ed nods his head and follows his daughter over to the bar. "How was he?" he asks referring to Danny's PTSD.

"uhhhh?" Delinda starts, her mind going straight to the gutter.

"Did he have any nightmares?" Ed asks trying to get the information out of her.

"Oh, no; I don't think so. I fell asleep before he did, but I didn't hear anything."

"Well did he sleep at all?"

Delinda stops and thinks, "I don't know. I would have assumed so, but…" she says not sure of herself. There's a short pause. "I told him." She says simply. Ed looks to her, clearly lost. "About me and Nessa working with you." She says clearing things up.

"Oh…" Ed says simply, nodding his head.

"That's it?" she says slightly shocked at his reaction.

"Well, yeah, what?" he says shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know I just expected more." She says laughing.

"I trust Danny." he says simply.

Delinda smiles at her father and reaches out to grab his hand. As she does so Danny walks out of the bathroom in a pair of gym short and waves to Ed.

"I'll be out in a second." He says as he shuts the door to his bedroom to get dressed.

Five minutes later Danny walks out of the room in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Danny looks to Delinda and furrows his brow. "You don't look ready." He says putting his hands in the air.

"I didn't know I was going." She says looking from her dad to Danny.

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"I don't know, I thought…" she stops and sighs.

"Hurry up, go throw a coat and shoes on." He says ordering her around jokingly.

Delinda rushes off to Danny's bedroom to find a jacket. Danny turns to look back at Ed, who is giving him a small smile. "Can I ask you a question?" Danny says, looking to Ed with a serious face.

"Yeah." Ed says shrugging his shoulders.

"I'd like to ask your permission to date your daughter." He says calmly.

Ed lets out a deep breath and tries not to smile. "You have my permission." He says extending his hand to shake Danny's.

Danny smiles and returns Ed's hand shake. "Thank you sir."

"Don't break her heart Danny or I'll have to break your neck." He says teasingly.

Delinda walks out of the bedroom smiling, "Ready." She states.

Danny looks to her, smiles, and then grabs her hand. "Then let's get going." He says guiding her out of the apartment.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Sam walks through the casino at her usual fast pace when she catches Nessa's eye. Nessa half sprints after her and calls out her name. "Sam!" she shouts with her British accent.

The feisty brunette turns around at the mention of her name but doesn't stop to chat. "Hey Ness," she says simply.

"Sam, there's a man at the front desk looking for you, says he's your dad." Nessa says with a smile.

Sam halts in her tracks and turns around to look at Nessa. "My dad?" Sam says shaking her head.

"Yeah, he's at the front desk waiting for you."

"Have Ed throw him out." She says turning back around to walk away.

"Ed's not here…"

"Then have Danny or Mike do it!" She shouts.

"Sam they're not here." Nessa says, now getting worried.

"Just get rid of him Nessa!" Sam screams now stopping again to look at her friend.

Nessa looks to Sam with a look of concern. "Sam is everything…"

"I'm fine! Just get rid of him!" She yells again as she walks out of sight. Nessa sighs and calls security to have the man escorted of the premises.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Danny, Delinda and Ed pull up in front of a small house about twenty miles outside of Vegas and sit for a minute. Danny looks to the house and then down to his feet. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Delinda asks grabbing his hand.

Danny nods his head and looks up to her, "I owe it to him." He says simply. After taking in a deep breath he opens the car door and stands in front of PFC Ryan's family's house.

Ed walks up beside Danny and puts his hand on the young man's shoulder. "We'll be right here." He says squeezing Danny's shoulder. McCoy nods his head and makes his way to the front door. The young man runs his hand through his short hair before knocking on the door.

A young boy, around the age of fifteen, answers the door and looks up to Danny. "Can I help you?"

"Are your parents' home?" Danny asks.

The boy furrows his brow and calls for his mother. A stout older woman comes to the door with a confused look upon her face. "Hello ma'am, I'm Lieutenant…."

"Danny McCoy." She says finishing his statement. Danny nods his head in confusion. "Johnny told me so much about you, please come in." she says waving him inside the house. Danny looks back to Ed and Delinda, "please bring your friends." She says again, still beckoning him inside the house.

McCoy waves to his girlfriend and mentor and makes his way into the house. "Mrs. Ryan this is my girlfriend Delinda Deline and her father Ed Deline." Danny says introducing them all.

"Very nice to meet you, you can call me Karen." She says smiling. "Please have a seat." She says motioning towards the couch. Danny and company take a seat on the couch and look to each other uncomfortably. "They told us last week……but I knew." Karen says softly, taking a seat in a chair opposite them. Karen's youngest son Keith enters the room and sits on the arm of the chair his mother's sitting in.

Danny nods his head and looks to the floor, not quite knowing what to say. "I was with John when….I was with him." Danny says, now raising his head to face her. "The last thing he said was to tell his family that he loved them."

A tear falls down the side of Karen's cheek and Keith grabs her hand. "Was he brave?" Keith asks, looking to Danny seriously.

Danny nods his head, "yes." He replies simply, remembering the look of determination on PFC Ryan's face right up until the point that they pulled the trigger. "I don't know what they told you…" Danny starts, taking Delinda's hand in his. "…but they thought that I was John when they found the body. They had a funeral service for me when really it was John."

Karen gasps with shock. "So you all thought that he was…?" Karen asks looking to Delinda.

Delinda nods her head and lets a tear escape the corner of her eye. "Yes." She replies quietly.

"Oh, you poor thing." Karen says scooting up in her chair to place her hand on Delinda's.

"They are removing the coffin from my burial site today. I understand if it's too difficult for you, but you are more than welcome to come with us."

Karen nods her head and looks to Keith, "That's very nice of you, but….I can't. We will have a service for him in a couple of days."

Danny sighs, "I understand, I just wanted to come by personally and pay my respects." He says, now standing up.

"Will you come to the service?" Karen says now getting up herself.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it."

"Thank you Danny." she says pulling the tall marine down for a hug. "You feel free to stop by anytime you like." She adds as she releases him from her hug. Danny nods his head and smiles before making his way to the door. "It was very nice to meet you Delinda." Karen says now hugging the young blonde.

"You too." Delinda replies politely. Danny and Delinda make their way to the car, but Ed hangs back a bit.

"I'm sorry for your loss ma'am." Ed says sincerely.

"Thank you." She says simply as she looks out to Danny and Delinda waiting by the car. "You take care of that boy." She says to Ed. Ed looks to Danny and then back to Karen.

"I will."  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Mike sits on the couch in his apartment packing up his things to move to his and Nessa's new place when he hears his cell phone ring. The man looks around and reaches for the phone sitting on the coffee table. "Hello?" he answers, putting the phone between his ear and his shoulder to continue packing.

"Hey it's me." Nessa says quickly.

"Hey babe what's going on?" he asks, hearing the sound of distress in her voice.

"Have you ever heard anything about Sam's dad?"

"Sam's dad?" he questions as he puts the vase and newspaper down.

"Yeah, he just showed up here and she freaked out and had security escort him out."

"You talk to Ed yet?"

"No, not yet; he's helping Danny with some stuff today." She says shaking her head.

"Ok; well keep an eye on Sam and let me know if he shows up at the casino again."

"Will do. How's your leg feeling?" she says, now changing the subject.

"Better, I'm keeping myself busy by packing." He says with a sigh.

Nessa smiles, "I'll drop by after my shift and give you a hand."

"Sounds good, I'll see you then." Mike says with a smile as he hangs up the phone. The man looks around the apartment and clumsily makes his way over to his laptop. After a few minutes and a few clicks of the mouse he successfully hacks into the Montecito's system. He opens up the employee files and searches for 'Marquez'. He opens her file and looks for anything that could give him information on her father. After looking through the documents for a few minutes and finding nothing he closes the window and runs a background check on her. He laughs when he doesn't find a criminal record, he had always just assumed that she had been to prison; he figured that's where she got her feisty attitude. As he continues to scroll down he sees her father's name and clicks the link. He starts to read and his mouth drops. "Oh my god….."  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ed, Danny and Delinda pull into the cemetery parking lot and watch as the tractor digs up Danny's grave. McCoy puts his hand to the door handle and exits the vehicle. He slowly walks over to his grave site and stands above it. The tractor takes away another scoop of dirt, revealing the coffin that was believed to hold his body. Two men climb down into the hole and hook a few cables onto the coffin. They both climb out and the tractor begins to lift the casket up. McCoy stands and watches as they pull his friend out of the ground.

Delinda and Ed walk up behind the marine and watch silently. Danny turns around to face his girlfriend and sees that she is crying. "That was you…" she says softly as the tears stream down her face. Danny mouths the words 'I know' and walks towards her taking her in his arms. "That was you!" she says again slightly yelling. "That was you! I buried you!" she yells, pounding her fists on his chest.

"I know." He whispers holding her tightly. "I know." He says again, kissing the top of her head.

Ed stands back watching the scene unfold in front of him. "Ach-hmm." A young man clears his throat behind the former CIA agent. The older man turns around to face him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt sir, but what are we supposed to do with the casket?"

"oh…umm…" Ed looks to Danny, who is still busy with Delinda, and looks back to the young man in front of him. "The funeral is tomorrow…is there a storage unit you can place it in until tomorrow morning?" Ed asks.

The young man looks around unsure of himself, "uhh…yes sir. So would you like us to fill in…." the young man starts pointing to Danny's gravesite.

"No." Ed answers quickly. "We're having another funeral there tonight."

The young man nods his head and turns around to go back to work. Ed looks back to Danny and his daughter to see that she has regained her composure. Big Ed takes in a deep breath and makes his way over to the two.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mike types Sam's father's name into the Google search engine 'George Kent'. He clicks on the first link that comes up, an old newspaper article.  
**Mad Man Get's Off** the article titles.

'…_Kent, accused of brutally murdering his wife Jane Marquez, is found not guilty due to insufficient evidence. Though the man was let off the hook for this unimaginable crime, he was charged and convicted of child abuse and child molestation and was sentenced to twenty years in prison. _

_Sofia Marquez, the mother of the deceased Jane Marquez, was awarded custody of the children; Robert, 12 and Samantha, 17. Samantha, who was rumored to have witnessed the crime, refused to comment on her father's trial…_'

Mike looks away from the computer screen and runs his hands over his face. He then reaches over to his cell phone and speed dials McCoy's number.

Danny reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone as they all walk towards the car. "Hello?" he answers.

"Danny it's me." Mike says quickly.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Danny asks as he opens Delinda's door for her.

"Nessa just called me saying that Sam's dad showed up at the hotel and I did some checking…."

"Sam's dad is there?" Danny asks with a panic.

"No, she had security escort him out. But Danny I checked the guy out and…"

"I know Mike." Danny says with a sigh. "You have your computer up?"

"Yeah, I'm already logged into the Montecito."

"Ok, keep an eye on Sam and call me if George shows up again."

"Will do." Mike replies as he hangs up the phone.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sam walks through the casino, looking over her shoulder every few seconds. As she glances back again she runs into someone in front of her.

"Sam!" Nessa says slightly shouting, as the feisty brunette runs into her.

Sam quickly turns to face her, "Oh, sorry." She says, not really caring and continuing her stroll through the casino.

"Sam, are you sure you're ok?" Nessa asks briskly walking after her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she says looking down at her cell phone then quickly glancing over her shoulder.

"Because you sort of freaked out when your dad showed up and you keep glancing over your shoulder all paranoid like."

"I didn't freak out and that man is not my father." she says firmly. Nessa stops her questions and looks to Sam with worry. As the petite brunette catches sight of the look she looks away and walks towards the bar quickly.

"Sam…" Nessa calls after her. Sam puts her hand up, indicating that the conversation was over without looking back.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Delinda sits in the backseat of the car wanting to ask a question, but not sure of how she should do it. "So…is Cody's funeral tonight?" She finally blurts out. Danny turns back to look at her and nods his head. "Who is coming?" she asks, realizing that no one had been called or notified.

"Us" Danny replies simply.

Delinda nods her head and gets out her cell phone. '_Danny's friend's funeral tonight at the cemetery. 6:00 pm, be there.' _She types and sends to Mike, Nessa, and Sam.

Ed looks over to Danny who is staring blankly out the window. "What did Mike have to say?" he asks, trying to start a conversation. Danny thinks for a minute, realizing that Ed was already in the car when he was on the phone so he couldn't have heard his conversation.

Danny sighs heavily, "nothing." He says shaking his head, not even moving to face the older man.

"Jillian would like to have you over for dinner tonight." Ed says as he drives down some back roads.

"I don't think tonight is the best night." Danny replies with a low voice as he shakes his head.

"I think it's the perfect night." Ed says with a serious tone. This comment catches Danny's attention and he turns to face Ed. "We'll head over there after the funeral." He says nodding his head and taking out his cell phone.

Danny shakes his head, "Ed…" he starts.

"Danny." Ed says forcefully. The young marine sighs and lowers his head in defeat. After a ring or two Jillian picks up the home phone.

"Hello." She answers sweetly.

"Hey sweetie, it's me. Listen Danny agreed to come over for dinner like you asked." He says leading her into the conversation.

"Like I….oh he's sitting right there?" she asks, catching onto her husband's sneaky ways.

"Yeah, uh-huh." He replies. "We'll all just head back to the house after the funeral tonight."

"Cody's funeral?" she asks still trying to get all the information. "You want Danny to be preoccupied."

"Right, so steak and potatoes it is." Ed says, trying not to give away his sneaky plan to Danny.

"Ok double O seven I'll see you soon." She says laughing as she hangs up the phone.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

George Kent sits in his rental car in the Montecito parking garage, waiting for his daughter to come out. He looks around, watching as the employees enter and exit the hotel and casino. He sighs and looks to the parked cars, wondering which one was his daughters. _Is it the beat up 1980 Honda Civic? Is it the new silver Mercedes?_ George Kent doesn't know, he's been out of his daughter's life for twenty years. The only reason he knew she was working at the Montecito is because he Googled her name and it came up.

Kent is suddenly brought out of his trance as he sees his daughter walk out one of the side doors. Sam walks with her head down, focused on her phone. Kent quickly gets out of the car and slowly approaches her. Sam lifts her head up for one brief moment and sees her father standing in front of her. The usually feisty brunette stops in her tracks and stares at the man in front of her.

"Sam I…." he starts.

"Get away from me." She hisses as she backs away.

"Sam please…." He starts again, taking a few steps towards her. Sam hits and holds the number four button on her phone and waits as it speed dials Danny McCoy's cell number.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ed takes a right at the light, turning onto the strip as Danny hears his phone ring.

"Danny McCoy." He answers. He waits a second for a response but doesn't get one. "Hel…" he starts again but stops when he hears someone start to talk.

"Just give me a chance to explain. I'm your father for god sake."

"You are not my father!" Sam screams. "You can't just appear after twenty years in the parking garage of my work!" she again yells, loud enough for Danny to hear on the other end of the phone.

Danny holds his breath for a second, "Ed step on it!" He shouts. "The employee parking garage, now!" Ed looks to his protégé very confused. "Now!" The young marine yells again.

Ed, still very confused, does as he's told and floors it through the red light. Just seconds later he peels into the garage causing a startled George Kent to turn around. Danny jumps out of the hummer and briskly walks over to Sam. "Are you ok?" he asks quietly. The casino host nods her head with a frightened scowl. McCoy turns around on the ball of his foot and stands up tall in front of the man.

"You need to leave." Danny says glaring into the man's eyes, and noticing his fat lip.

"Excuse me, but you don't have anything to do with this." George says, taking a step forward to brush Danny aside. As the man touches Danny's arm the marine quickly grabs Kent's arm and twists it behind his back, then forcing him up against a nearby car.

"Don't you EVER touch me." Danny spits, shoving the man against the car again. "or I'll have to give you a black eye to go along with that fat lip.

Ed walks up behind McCoy and pulls him off the man. "He said you need to leave….and that's what you are going to do." Ed says commandingly.

Kent looks to the men standing in front of him and nods his head in defeat. He then turns around and gets back in his car. As he drives off Danny walks back over to Sam and holds her at arm's length. He bends down to look in her eyes, "Are you ok? Did he touch you?" he asks with a sweet worried tone.

Sam looks up to Danny and shakes her head no. Delinda walks up to Danny and Sam and looks to them with concern. "Sam, are you ok? What was that all about?" the tall blonde asks worriedly.

Sam looks to Danny for some help, but he just shrugs his shoulders. She then looks to Ed and sees the confused look upon his face and realizes that he has no idea. "It's my dad….he's just mad that I didn't send him a father's day card." Sam says shrugging her shoulders as she walks back into the casino.

Ed and Delinda look to Danny as the casino host walks away. Danny scowls and shakes his head; putting his hands up, motioning for them to stay put. He then runs after the petite brunette and moves in front of her. "Sam, did you know he was released?" Danny says, stopping her just inside the doorway.

"Yeah, they called and notified me two week ago." She answers.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know Danny, you've had some other things on your mind; you know, like coming back to life." She says with a smart ass tone. Danny rolls his eyes and looks away. "Bobby called me last week, said that George had been to see him at a job site. Bobby punched him in the face, called the cops on him for trespassing." She says with a sigh.

"Yeah well apparently the charges didn't stick." McCoy says as he stares a man down that walks by them. "You should have called me when he showed up here this morning." Danny says, now looking back to his friend. Sam looks to him with slight shock. "yeah…I know about that." he says mockingly.

"I should have known. You can't have a secret in this town." She says with frustration. Danny continues to stare her down. "ok, ok I should have called you." She admits. There's a short silence and Sam looks around awkwardly. "So the funeral's at six?" she asks, changing the subject. Danny looks down to her with a puzzled look on his face. "You can't have a secret in this town remember." She says shaking her head.

Danny laughs slightly and nods his head. "Yeah, it's at six."

"Ok, I'll see you there." Sam says curtly as she walks away.  
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	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Danny walks back out to the parking garage to a very confused Ed and Delinda. McCoy opens his mouth to talk but stops when Ed places his hand in the air. "My office." He commands as he walks past his protégé. Danny sighs as his mentor brushes past him, knowing full well that he wasn't happy about being kept out of the loop. The marine looks to Delinda who walks up to him, takes his hand, and walks him to her father's office.

"What the hell was that about?" Ed asks, as Danny shuts the door behind him.

Danny sighs and shakes his head. "Ed…" he starts.

"What did he do and why didn't I know."

"You know Sam; she asked me not to tell anyone."

"Well I'm not _anyone_." Ed says angrily. Danny looks away in frustration. "Now what's the deal with this guy?"

"George Kent…Sam's father."

"Why is he here?" Ed asks with a short temper.

Danny sighs again, trying to bite his tongue and not just walk out of Ed's office. The tall marine turns around for a moment to get his act together.

"Ach-hmm." Delinda clears her throat and throws her father a look that she picked up from her mother. Ed rolls his eyes and takes a seat in his chair.

"What's he want." Ed says a little more calmly.

Danny turns back around and takes a deep breath. "Twenty years ago Kent was on trial for killing Sam's mother. He was found not guilty but…" Danny stops and shakes his head.

"What?" Ed asks anxiously.

"He was sent to prison for child abuse and child molestation."

"What? Why didn't I know about this?" Ed asks, feeling his temper start to flare up again.

"She was 17, a minor." Danny replies.

"Why's he here now?"

"He was released from prison two weeks ago. Mike called me this morning to tell me that Kent showed up at the hotel."

"Mike knows!" Ed says, enraged that his employee was more informed than he was.

"No, he didn't. Sam freaked out when she found out Kent was here. Nessa saw the whole thing, called Mike, he did some checking and…"

"Ok, ok." Ed says raising his hand. "Have Mike keep an eye on Sam and call us if Kent shows up again."

"I've already got that covered." Danny says shaking his head. Ed opens his mouth to speak. "Ed! Its handled." Danny says forcefully.

Ed nods his head in approval. "Ok, at least let me have one of our guys follow her."

"Already done." Danny says again getting irritated. The tall marine turns around as he hears Delinda's phone ring.

The blonde sighs and answers the phone. "Hello." she says with an irritated tone. "what?"

As his daughter talks on the phone Ed stares at his protégé and his rugged appearance. The young man had taken a shower and dressed himself with clean clothes; but a shower and clean clothes doesn't make the bags under his eyes, the dragging of his feat as he walks, and the tired irritability disappear.

"Ugh! Fine I'll be right there." Delinda shouts as she hangs up the phone. "Sorry, I have to run down to Mystique. Apparently two of my bartenders didn't show up for work this morning and the liquor shipment didn't come in." she says very frustrated. "I'll be back soon." She says standing up on her tip-toes to give her man a quick peck on the lips.

Danny turns back to face Ed once Delinda leaves the room. The marine yawns and sits down on the couch rubbing his face; he leans his head back and closes his eyes. Ed looks over to his surrogate son and sighs, knowing full well that he hadn't slept the night before. Not wanting to make any noise, the former CIA agent leans back in his chair and closes his eyes.  
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**30 minutes later**

Jillian walks through the kitchen and looks at the clock on the stove. "So much for being home by four Ed." She says shaking her head. She picks up the home phone and dials her husband's cell number. She lets it ring several times, but it eventually goes to his voicemail. With a sigh of frustration she hangs up and dials her daughter's number.

Her phone rings three times when Delinda reluctantly answers with an irritated tone. "Yes?" she says rudely.

"D, it's me. Where's your dad?"

"I don't know; in his office with Danny I think." She replies distractedly as she signs the last liquor order.

"Well, I just called his cell and he didn't answer."

"I'm going up there in a few minutes; I just have to finish these last few sheets of paperwork. I'll have him call you."

"Ok, I'll see you tonight." Jillian says, about to hang up the phone.

"Ok…wait. Tonight; for what?"

"Cody's funeral and dinner."

"Dinner? What dinner?"

"Oh…well Danny's coming over for dinner tonight. I just thought that you'd be with him."

"Well…I will…I just didn't…I'll see you tonight." Delinda finally spits out.

"Delinda…" Jillian calls. Delinda lets out a deep breath and doesn't respond. Jillian thinks for a moment before continuing, "I'll see you later." She says just before hanging up the phone.

The tall blonde looks down at the few sheets of paper in front of her, quickly scribbles her signature on them, and throws them on the bar. "Tommy! Take care of these. I'm taking the next few days off." She calls back to her coworker in the back. She then walks out of her club and heads towards her father's office.  
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Sam walks through the high roller black jack pit and looks over her shoulder for the thousandth time. After another feeling of paranoia she walks through an employee doorway and leans up against the wall of the empty corridor. She slides down and places her head in her hands, crying silently.  
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Delinda walks up the stairs of the side entrance to her father's office and smiles at the scene in front of her; her boyfriend past out on the couch and her father fast asleep at his desk. Not being able to resist she whips out her cell phone and snaps a picture of the two.

Quietly walking over to her man she bends down in front of him and gently strokes the side of his face. Danny slowly opens his eyes and smiles at the sight of her. "Time to get up." She whispers.

McCoy smiles again and kisses her softly, "I could get used to this."

Delinda grins, "To what?" she asks.

"Waking up to you." He answers sweetly and moves in for another quick kiss. Danny sits up and stretches out his arms, laughing slightly at a sleeping Ed.

Delinda turns to look at her sleeping father. "He's so cute when he's sleeping." She whispers with a smile.

"Yeah! He's so cute when he's sleeping!" Danny shouts, waking the sleeping Ed Deline.

Ed quickly lifts his head and looks over to Danny who is laughing. Ed grins and groggily throws a pencil at McCoy, "Shut up." He moans. Deline looks to his watch and scowls. "Shit." He mumbles.

"What?" Danny asks curiously.

"I promised Jillian I'd be home by four." He says now reaching for his cell phone.

"Yeah, she called me a half hour ago looking for you." Delinda says with raised eyebrows.

Ed sighs and dials his home number. The phone rings a few times before his wife picks up. "Four o'clock huh." Jillian says answering the phone.

"I know sweetie, I'm sorry. We ran into a problem with Sam and then I…" he stops, knowing that she wouldn't be pleased with his next excuse.

"and then…." She says urging him on with the rest of his story.

"I fell asleep in my office." He says pulling the phone away from his ear in case she started to scream at him. When he doesn't hear anything he pulls the phone back to his ear.

"Ok, that's fine. Are you on your way home now?" she asks sweetly.

Ed furrows his brow out of confusion. "Yeah, we're getting ready to leave right now." He says as he starts to stand up.

"Ok, I'll see you in a bit. I love you."

"Love you too." Ed replies, ending the phone call. He places his phone back on his belt and looks over to his daughter and protégé.

"What?" Danny asks, looking at the surprised look on his bosses face.

"Nothing, let's go." He says waving his arm towards the door. The two stand up and walk past Ed, exiting his office. The three walk down to the parking garage; surprisingly without any interruptions and pile into Ed's hummer.

During the short car ride to the Deline residence the car is full of laughter and smiles from the trio. They continue to tease and reveal embarrassing stories about each other, just having a good time. A few minutes later they arrive at the Deline mansion and walk into the house, still laughing at Ed's story.

Jillian walks out of the kitchen and into the foyer to greet her family and smiles as she sees them all having a good time. Ed turns his head as his wife enters the room; just at the sight of her his heart filling with love.

"Hi sweetie." He says walking over to her and giving her a kiss. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's ok." She says with a smile. She then looks to Danny. "Daniel, how are you?" she asks as she pulls him in for a hug.

"I'm ok," he replies as he pulls out of the hug.

"Good, well I've made you all a sandwich to tie you over until dinner." She says guiding them into the kitchen.

"Aw, I love you!" Danny says as he sits down at the breakfast bar and dives into his sandwich. "I'm famished." He says with a full mouth. Jillian laughs and walks over to the pantry behind Danny and Delinda to get some chips. She reaches in and grabs the bag of Fritos and turns back around to walk towards the counter; but as she turns around something catches her eye. She looks down at Danny and Delinda's feet to see them intertwined. She grins to herself and then looks over to her husband who she then realizes his starring at her. She furrows her brow at him while smiling and he nods his head.

She shakes her head clear and walks over to the counter in front of Danny and starts to snack on the chips. McCoy finishes his sandwich and pushes his plate back. "That was delicious, thank you."

"It was only a sandwich." Jillian says laughing. "But you're welcome."

"We should get going." Danny says looking to his watch. Jillian nods her head and places the plates in the sink. Ed walks over to the coat rack and picks up Jillian's jacket. They all walk into the foyer where Ed helps his wife into her coat, while Danny does the same for Delinda.

As they approach the car Danny runs ahead and opens the door for both ladies. "Thank you sir." Jillian says as McCoy helps her into the truck. He then turns to the back seat and helps Delinda into the hummer. He then walks around to the other side of the car and hops in the back with his girlfriend.

"You're making me look bad." Ed jokes as he looks to Danny in the rearview mirror.

"Hey I learn from the best." Danny says with a smile, trying to give Ed some credit.

"Nice try kid, but that's not gonna get you a raise." He says laughing.

McCoy smiles and shakes his head. He stares out the window as they drive to the cemetery; the car that was filled with laughter and smiles just minutes ago is now silent. The closer they get to the cemetery the more Danny's stomach fills with knots.

They soon pull into the parking lot where Danny sees his friends waiting for him. He looks to his friends and furrows his brow when he sees two other people standing beside them. He gets out of the truck and walks over to the group of people and realizes that its Karen and Keith; PFC Ryan's family.

Karen talks to Mike with her back turned to Danny. She turns around when she sees Mike look at something behind her. "Hi Danny." she says pulling the tall marine down to her level for a hug.

"Uhh…hi…" he says looking to Mike for some kind of answer.

"I hope you don't mind that we're here." She says pulling Keith over to her. "We heard about your friend so we thought we would come to pay our respects." She says, afraid that he might be upset.

"Oh no, that's fine. Thank you for coming. It's just going to be a small service." He says shaking his head.

Karen looks to Danny with a clearly puzzled look on her face. "I'm sorry…." She says shaking her head. "…but…aren't all those people here for Cody's funeral?" she asks, pointing to a huge mob of people behind Danny.

Danny looks at Karen strangely and then turns around; as he does so his eyes widen and his mouth drops. He stands motionless for a moment, in awe that all these people would come out for his friend's funeral. Ed comes up behind McCoy and claps him on the shoulder.

"How ya doin kid?" He asks.

"How did they…" Danny starts.

"I made a few phone calls." Ed says, still starring at the crowd in front of them. Danny looks to Ed in disbelief.

"Thanks Ed." He says, not really knowing what else to say. Ed looks up to his surrogate son, nods his head, and walks towards the crowd. As his mentor walks away Danny turns back to face his friends and lets out a deep sigh. Delinda walks over to Danny and grabs his hand.

"You ready?" she asks.

Danny nods his head. "yeah." He answers. The two lead the way to the burial site, followed by their close friends. The crowd parts, allowing Danny and Delinda to the front, but as they move away Danny sees something. He continues to walk and his mouth drops open again at the sight of eight Marines surrounding Cody's casket. Ed stands just in front of the coffin, looking to Danny.

McCoy looks to his girlfriend at his side for some type of answer. "Cody deserves a real service." She says with a smile and a single tear escaping her eye.

Danny shakes his head in disbelief and gives her a quick kiss. He then turns to face his mentor and walks up to him to shake his hand. "Thank you, sir." He says, as he brings his hand to his forehead to salute. Ed does the same and nods his head. The former CIA agent moves to stand next to his daughter and wife, while Danny turns to face the crowd in front of him.

McCoy looks to the casket beside him and then back to the crowd. "Six months ago…." He starts, pausing briefly to take in a deep breath. "…that was me." He says with a slight shutter. "Cody…was a good marine, he was a good man, he was a hell of a hockey player." He says, slightly laughing at the last bit. "but most importantly…Cody was my friend. Cody Howard died helping me get my life back. Now all I wish is that I could give him his back." he says, nodding his head up and down, trying to hold back the tears. "When you go home tonight, hold the ones that you love. If there's anything I've taken away from the past year it's that you never know what's going to happen." The crowd looks to Danny silently, nodding their heads in agreement. Danny turns to his fellow marines and salutes them.

The marines face both sides of the coffin and lift the American flag that lay sprawled across it. They fold it up and walk it over to Danny. The marines lift their rifles and shoot five times into the air in unison. The crowd jumps at every shot, with the exception of Ed and Danny who have heard their share of gun fire.

After the service Danny says a few more words and thanks the crowd for coming out. He stands around with the gang in front of the casket talking about various topics; occasionally someone drops by to pay their respects and shake Danny's hand.

Sam stands with Nessa and Mike, talking about one of her whales; while Danny, Delinda, Ed, and Jillian stand just behind them talking to John Wilson, Danny's lawyer. Sam laughs as Nessa mocks her new whale and looks out towards the parking lot for a moment. As she glances out to her left her stomach churns. The smile on her face quickly fades, the color draining immediately.

"Danny…" she mumbles. Her inaudible murmur isn't heard by the marine. Sam backs up, not taking her eyes off the man in the parking lot. "Danny…" she says again, now bumping into her friend. McCoy turns around and looks down at her with a furrowed brow. "Danny…" she says a little louder, now tugging at his coat.

"Sam, what are you…" Danny says irritably.

"Danny." she says again nervously.

"What Sam?" he says getting irritated as she continues to tug at his jacket. Danny follows the brunettes gaze out to the parking lot and scowls. "Stay here." Danny orders. "Delinda…" he says looking to his girlfriend and pointing at Sam. Delinda nods her head and walks to Sam's side. The tall marine walks out to the parking lot and gets in George Kent's face. "This is a private service; I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Danny growls.

"I'm not bothering anyone; this is a public place." Kent says coolly.

"So apparently you're not getting the hint, but she doesn't want to see you." Danny says plainly. Ed walks up beside his young protégé and looks to George.

"What seems to be the problem Danny?" Ed asks, starring Kent down.

"Mr. Kent refuses to leave." McCoy says, taking a few steps back.

"Well sir, he's right. You're going to have to leave." Ed says nodding his head.

"I don't have to do anything." Kent says, getting defensive.

"Sam!" Delinda calls after the petite brunette as she briskly walks towards Ed and Danny.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Kent yells, as Ed pushes him up against a nearby car.

"He's my dad." Sam says as she approaches the men in front of her.

"Excuse me?" Kent says, with an insulted look on his face.

"You heard me." Sam says looking to the man in front of her with disgust. "This is Ed and he's my dad." She says more confidently. "Now, I'm asking you nicely. Please leave." She says strongly.

Kent shakes his head, "Fine, I'll leave." He says in defeat. "but we're going to talk Samantha." He says with a determined voice.

"Get the hell out of here." Danny growls walking towards the man. Kent gets into his car and drives off without another word.

As soon as his car is out of sight Sam turns to Ed and buries her head in his chest. The older man wraps his arms around her. "It's ok; he's gone." He whispers. The rest of their friends stand back in awe, not only at the fact that Sam's father had the nerve to show up at the funeral; but at the sight of seeing Sam cry.

Sam pulls away for a moment and looks up to Ed. "Thank you." She says quietly.

"No problem…daughter." He says with a smile as he wipes away her tears.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Sam looks out to her group of friends and then back to Ed and Danny. "I'll see you tomorrow." She says calmly, starting to walk towards her car. Danny looks to Ed with a confused look and then runs after his friend.

"Sam, wait a minute." He says walking after her. The casino host doesn't stop walking, not even slowing down her fast pace. They reach her car and are soon joined by Ed, who opens her door for her.

"Maybe you should stay at my place tonight." Ed says, looking down at his employee as she throws her purse in the car.

"Well boss, aren't you married?" Sam says jokingly.

Ed grins and looks to her with a sly smile. "Sam, really. I don't think you should go back to your suite tonight. He's already confronted you there before."

"I'll be fine….dad." she says with a smile and gives him a peck on the cheek. "and you…" she says pointing to Danny. "get some sleep; you look like crap." She says slapping him on the face. With that she gets in her car and drives off.

"Have one of…" Ed starts.

"Already done." Danny says pointing to a car trailing Sam's. Ed smiles and starts his walk back to his family, with Danny at his side.  
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_**Thirty Minutes Later**_

Danny and the Deline's pull up to the house silently. Danny gets out and walks over to the passenger side, opening the doors for both Jillian and Delinda. As Danny moves to extend his hand to help Jillian, Ed comes over and pushes him out of the way. "Easy kid, she's mine." He says with a playful tone; something Danny didn't usually hear from his boss.

Over the course of the past week Danny's relationship with Ed had changed. It used to be that Danny always had to prove himself to Ed; always had to go above and beyond just to get a look that said 'well done'. He always knew that Ed looked at him as more than just an employee; but now…now it was different. Granted they have been through a lot for each other lately, but still; Danny liked the change and wasn't about to do anything to mess it up.

Danny laughs at Ed and helps Delinda out of the hummer. They all walk into the house and make their way to the kitchen. Ed and Jillian immediately go to work, getting out the steaks, potatoes, seasonings, all the necessities for dinner. "Danny, grab that plate." Ed says as he walks past the young man with a bag of charcoal and a lighter. Danny does as he's told and follows his mentor out to the backyard and over to the barbeque.  
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"How are things going with you two?" Jillian asks, as she puts the salad together.

Delinda looks up to her mother with a furrowed brow and a smile. "What do you mean?" she asks, playing stupid.

"Oh Delinda!" Jillian says laughing. "You've been hanging all over each other since he got back. Not to mention that nice greeting you gave him when he came home." Jillian says still laughing.

Delinda smiles and shrugs her shoulders. "Things are fine." She answers simply.

"but…" Jillian says, egging her daughter on.

"but, sometimes I think he feels embarrassed when….maybe embarrassed isn't the word… awkward when we're together and daddy's around."

"Well, that would be understandable, but I don't think that's the case." Jillian says smiling and shaking her head.

Delinda looks up to her mother. "What do you mean?"

"Danny asked your dad for permission to date you this morning." Jillian says with a sly smile.

"What? He did? When? And how do you know?"

"I guess when your dad went to pick him up this morning Danny asked him."

"What'd daddy say?"

"He said ok." Jillian says shrugging her shoulders.

"When did you find out?" Delinda asks, suddenly getting all excited.

"After the funeral, your dad told me." Delinda smiles and looks out to her father and boyfriend in the backyard through the glass door. "Don't screw this up Delinda." Jillian says, starring at Danny and Ed by the barbeque.

"I won't." Delinda says shaking her head with a smile.  
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Danny and Ed stand around the pool laughing at something Ed had said. There's a short pause and Danny looks to his mentor with a slightly more serious face. "Thanks Ed." He says nodding his head. "…for Cody's service today."

"Don't mention it kid." Ed says waving it off. As he does so he hears the backdoor open and shut and turns to see who it is. He smiles when he sees both his wife and his daughter approaching them; Jillian with the dishware in her hands and Delinda with two beers.

"Here you are." Delinda says handing one to her father. "…and here you are." She says giving Danny a kiss before handing him his beer. Jillian looks up from setting the table and shoots Ed a smile.

"Are they almost done?" Delinda asks with a cheerful tone.

Ed looks to the steaks on the barbeque and flips them over, "almost." He says just before taking another swig of his beer.  
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Sam opens the door to her suite and shuts it behind her; locking every lock there is. She turns back to face her room, leaning her back against the door and sliding to the floor. She takes in a deep breath before taking out her cell phone. She scrolls down in the phone book and presses dial when she comes across the number she's looking for. The phone rings a few times before he picks up.

"Hello?" he answers.

"Bob…" she says quietly.

"Yeah!" Bobby yells into the phone over the sounds of his construction site.

"Bobby, it's me." She says wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

Bobby stops what he's doing when he realizes who it is. He walks off the job site and over to his trailer with his finger in his ear. "Are you ok?" he asks, once inside the trailer.

"He's here." She says quietly.

"When?" he asks with a heavy sigh.

"This morning." She answers plainly.

"Did he touch you Sam!?" he yells, feeling his temper flare.

"No…he's never touched me Bobby." She says with a sigh. There's an awkward silence that both are afraid to break. "He won't leave Bobby. He showed up at my work twice and my friend's funeral a little while ago. I can't live like this anymore Bobby; I left all this for a reason." She says with a frustrated voice.

"I know…" he sighs "…are you safe there?" he asks.

"Yeah." She answers confidently.

"Are you sure?"

Sam smiles slightly, "yeah…I'm sure." She says softly. "Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"You got him good, right in the jaw." She says with a smile.

Bobby laughs, "Yeah, well I learn from the best. You taught me how to throw a punch." Sam giggles slightly. "You call me if you need anything."

Sam nods her head, not answering him. "Bye Bob." She says with a sigh.

"Bye sis."  
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Ed sits at the head of the table, his wife and daughter on either side of him, his protégé across the table, the cool desert breeze blowing through the yard; life was good for the first time in a long time.

"…Ed." Danny says, pulling the older man out of his trance.

"What?" he asks slightly startled.

Danny laughs a bit, "What do you think?" The marine asks, referring to the conversation he had been having with the girls and a clearly oblivious Ed. "About me coming back to work on Monday." McCoy says, seeing that his mentor was completely lost.

"Oh..uhhh. Yeah…well, are you sure you want to come back so soon?" He asks, trying to come up with a quick yet thought out response.

Danny looks to Jillian and Delinda for some sort support. Jillian steps up to the plate, "Danny was just saying how he thinks he needs to keep himself busy." Jillian says, giving her husband an odd look.

"Oh, right; sounds good." Ed says nodding his head, realizing that he would now be able to keep an eye on his protégé during the day.

Danny suddenly looks down to his belt as he hears his cell phone ring. He looks to the caller I.D and doesn't recognize the number. With a scowl he presses the ignore button; placing the phone back on his belt.

"Who was that?" Delinda asks quietly, just out of curiosity.

"I don't know. I didn't recognize the number." He says with a shrug. "Everyone who's important is right here anyway, right?" Danny says taking her hand in his.

Delinda smiles at him, squeezing his hand a little tighter. "Right." She replies with wide smile.  
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Nessa helps Mike load another box into the back of the Montecito escalade and watches as Mike struggles with his crutches. Mike sighs with frustration as he clumsily tries to shut the hatch of the trunk while trying not to drop his crutches. Nessa just smiles and reaches up to shut the trunk for him.

"Thanks." He says with an aggravated tone.

Nessa smiles at her boyfriend and grabs him by the waist. "Don't worry, you'll be up and running in no time." she says, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Not being able to resist, he smiles at her. The two start to make their way back to the elevator when she suddenly grabs Mike's hand. Mike stops when she awkwardly places her hand on top of his while he's trying to maneuver his crutches.

"What?" he says, getting worried by the look on her face.

"Isn't that Sam's dad?" she asks, nodding in the direction of the man. Kent leans up against the trunk of his car, his arms crossed, starring at the two.

"Stay here." Mike orders her. She nods her head and does as she's told. Cannon walks over to the man with a determined look on his face. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Mike says, fast approaching the man.

"What is it with you people? No manners. Every time, it's '_you have to leave'_." He says with a mocking tone.

"I'm sorry; we just have a problem with murders and child molesters." Mike spits through gritted teeth. "Now; I'm not going to ask you again…."

"Alright, alright." The man says with a smirk. "I'm leaving."

Mike starts his walk back to his girlfriend when he sees Kent start to get in his car. "You keep that pretty little girlfriend of yours close; it'd be a shame if anything happened to her." Kent calls with a perv-like smirk.

Mike stops in his tracks and turns around on the ball of his good foot. He briskly walks over to the man and shoves him up against the car. "If you ever lay a hand on her…" Mike starts.

"Oh I'm gonna lay more than just a hand on her." He growls.

Mikes eyes widen as he feels all rational leave his body. He takes up one of his crutches and jabs it into the man's throat. Kent doubles over as Mike takes a step back. He then lifts up the crutch again and slams it over Kent's back. Kent falls to the floor, trying to catch his breath after being hit in the throat.

Nessa runs over and grabs Mikes arms just as he's about to hit the man again. "Mike!" she shrieks. "Mike, stop it!" she yells again, taking the crutch from her boyfriend.

"Get the hell out of here!" Mike yells to, the practically unconscious, man on the floor.

"Mike, let's go." Nessa says, picking up the other crutch lying on the ground. "Come on." She says pushing him towards the elevator. Nessa takes one last glance at the man on the floor of the parking garage before the elevator doors shut.

Mike can still feel his heart beating at an uncontrollable pace, his body shaking with fury, his temperature rising. He thinks for a moment and takes out his cell.  
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Danny looks down to his cell phone again with an annoyed glare. He takes it off his belt to look at the caller I.D.

He lets off a small smile when he sees that it's Mike. "Hey man, what's going…" he starts.

"Danny he was here, I asked him to leave but he wouldn't. He said that…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Mikey slow down, I can't understand you." Danny says plugging his ear, now standing up to leave the table.

"Kent showed up at my apartment Danny. He said that he going to hurt Nessa. I lost it man; I think I really hurt him." Mike says with a panic.

"Mikey, where's Nessa?" Danny asks with a calming tone.

"She's right here." He answers, starting to calm down. Nessa grabs the phone from his hand and brings it to her ear.

"Danny, you need to get over here now." She says calmly.

"I'm on the way." He replies, hanging up the phone. McCoy swivels around to see Ed already standing up with his keys in hand.

"Let's go." Ed says with a nod of the head. "I'll be back soon." He says giving his wife a quick kiss.

Danny walks over to Delinda, leans down, gives her a long kiss, and pulls away with her face in his hands. "I'm sorry; I'll be back later tonight." He says starring into her eyes. He then looks up to Ed and walks away.

"…and just like that, they're gone." Delinda says with a sigh.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Danny and Ed pull into the parking garage of Mike's apartment building. They both get out of the car and walk towards the elevator. "Ed…" Danny says stopping in his tracks and pulling Ed back. Ed looks around, wondering what it was that his protégé was seeing. He then follows his gaze and sees what caught his surrogate son's eye; Kent's car with a good size pile of blood in front of it.

"He's still here." Danny says softly.

Ed nods his head, "come on." He says, briskly walking towards the elevator.

The two ride the elevator up to Mike's floor and walk down the hallway to his apartment.

"Mike, it's us." Danny says banging on the door.

Nessa walks over to the door and looks through the peep hole to be sure that it was them. She then opens the door and allows them in.

"Where was he when you left him?" Danny asks as he approaches Mike.

"He was on the floor in front of his car." Mike answers, shaking his head.

"Well he's not there anymore, his car's still there and so is a huge pile of blood. What the hell did you do to him?" Danny asks, worried that this might come back to haunt his friend.

"I hit him a few times with my crutch." Mike says with a scowl.

"But, if his car's still here then doesn't that mean that he must still be here?" Nessa asks.

Ed nods his head, "Danny, why don't you go check around the parking garage; see if you can find him." Ed orders. McCoy nods his head and makes his way to the door, "Danny…" Ed calls before the young man exits the room. Danny turns around to face his mentor. "Nothing too harsh." He says, pretty much telling him not to kill the guy. Danny nods his head again and exits the apartment.

Ed sits down on the couch next to Mike, "What did he say?" Ed asks, knowing that it had to be something awful to make Mike lose control. Mike shakes his head, not wanting to repeat the horrible thing Kent said. "Come on Mike." Ed says, coaxing the information out of the young man.

"I told him that he had to leave…"Mike starts, still a little shaken up. Mike then continues to tell Ed everything that Kent said. He stops for a moment to take a breather. "…then…he said that he was going to lay '_more than just a hand on her'_." Ed looks away, starting to feel his own temper flare. "I just lost it Mr. D; I couldn't control myself." He says shaking his head, feeling ashamed.

Ed places his hand on Mikes shoulder, "You did good Mike." He says, trying to take some of the pressure off the kid.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Danny rounds the corner in the garage, looking for some sign of Kent, but as he approaches the pool of blood he stops. The car that had been there when he entered the complex was gone. He looks around, but doesn't see any sign of the car. McCoy takes out his cell phone and dials Ed's number. It rings once and he picks up. "Yeah" Ed answers.

"Ed, it's me." Danny says, still looking around the parking garage. "He's not here, the cars gone."

"Ok kid, come on up."

"Hey, if he showed up here maybe we should call the girls; tell them to go to the hotel." Danny says with concern.

"Yeah, yeah ok. Give them a call on your way up." Ed says nodding his head as he hangs up the phone.

Danny hangs up and then speed dials D's number. "Hey baby." She says gleefully answering the phone.

"Hi." He says with a smile. "Listen, I need you and your mom to go to the hotel. Just hang out in your dad's office until we get there." He says with a protective tone.

"Why? What's going on?" she asks, starting to get worried.

"Sam's dad showed up at Mikes, he threatened Nessa. He's gone now, but we don't know where he is. I just don't want to take any chances."

Delinda nods her head in agreement, "ok, we'll leave here in a few minutes."

"Ok good, call me when you get there."

"I will, I love you."

"I love you too." He says hanging up the phone. As he ends the phone call he comes up on Mike's door. He enters the apartment to see Ed, Mike, and Nessa all sitting on the couch. "The girls are on the way to the hotel." He says as he puts his hands in his pockets.

"Good, now…" he says turning back to face Mike and Nessa. "I think you two should do the same." He says seriously.

"No, this guys not going to chase us away from our home." Nessa says angrily. "We'll just go and stay at our new place tonight."

"I really don't think that's the best idea." Ed says shaking his head.

"Ed! We'll be fine." She says, using the same stubborn tone that he had.

"Ok, fine." Ed says giving in. "at least call me when you get there." He says, giving her a begging look.

Nessa smiles at him and leans in to give him a peck on the cheek. "I will pops."

Ed and Danny walk towards the door and walk down to their car. "Maybe we should call Sam; tell her what happened." Danny says as they get into the hummer.

Ed shakes his head. "Nah, she's already pretty shaken up and you've got Mitch keeping an eye on her. Just let her rest." McCoy nods his head. "What about the girls, what'd they say?" he asks, looking to Danny as they pull out onto the road.

"I told D what was going on and she said they would go to the hotel."

"Good," Ed says, taking out his cell. He dials a number and brings the phone to his ear. It rings three times before picking up. "Allen, it me. Do me a favor; send a car over to Mike Canon's new place. Yeah just have sit them outside and keep an eye on things."  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Delinda and Jillian drive through the parking garage trying to find a space. They continue to drive through now making their way to the top floor. "There!" Jillian shouts, pointing to an open space.

Delinda sighs with relief, "Finally." She says with a deep breath. She parks the car and steps out, taking out her cell phone as she does so. She speed dials Danny's number to let him know they're at the hotel. She hears her mother shut the car door and start to walk over to her.

"Delinda…" Jillian whispers. "run." She commands as she feels a gun barrel being pressed against her back. Delinda brings the phone down from her ear and looks to her mother with a confused look. But as her eyes land on Jillian she sees Kent standing behind her mother.

Delinda nonchalantly drops her phone into her purse. Kent pushes Jillian forward towards her daughter, but she resists. "Delinda run!" she shouts as she struggles to get the gun away from Kent.

Danny listens in horror on the other end of the phone.

"Mom!" Delinda screams, running to her mother's aide. Kent pushes Delinda to the ground as he continues to struggle with her mother.

"Shut up!" Kent yells, hitting Jillian over the head with the butt of his gun. The older blond falls to the floor in front of her daughter. Delinda looks to her mother's motionless body and quickly scrambles to her side. "Back up!" Kent yells, pointing the gun to her head.

"George what do you want?" she says loudly.

"Shut up!" Kent screams, starting to lose his cool.

"Well then why are you attacking us on the top floor of the parking garage?" she asks, trying to tell Danny where they are.

Ed swerves into the bottom floor of the parking garage. "Stop!" Danny shouts. Ed looks to Danny confused. "Stop! He'll hear us coming." Danny orders again. Ed does as he's told and steps on the breaks. "Get out." McCoy commands. Ed reaches over to the glove compartment and pulls out his 380. Danny runs towards the stairwell, "take the elevator up." He shouts to his mentor as he makes his way up the stairs.

The parking garage is only six stories high, but as he runs up the stairs it feels more like twenty; not just physically but mentally. McCoy clenches the phone to his ear as he breathlessly runs up the next flight of stairs. _Three more_ he thinks to himself.

"Move!" Kent orders, forcing Delinda back towards the four foot wall.

"Please…" Delinda begs. "What do you want?"

"You're going to call Sam and have her meet you here." He orders, shaking the gun in the air.

Delinda nods her head, "ok, ok." She says taking her cell phone out of her purse.

"I'm coming D." McCoy pants as he makes his way up the last flight of stairs.

Delinda pretends to press some buttons on her phone and brings it to her ear. "put it on speaker!" Kent orders. As she moves to press the button on her phone she hears the ding of the elevator. Kent turns around and sees Ed walking out of the elevator. "Stop right there!" He shouts taking Delinda in his hands with the gun pointed at her.

Danny comes up on the door leading to the top floor and stops. He peeks through the glass door panel and sees Kent holding Delinda by the half wall threatening to throw her over. He then looks to his left and sees Ed slowly making his way over to the two while trying to negotiate.

McCoy quietly opens the door and makes his way into the garage. Kent's head swerves in his direction, "Don't move!" He screams, pushing Delinda closer to the edge.

"Listen George, I just want to talk." Danny says raising his hands in the air as he walks towards the man.

"Don't move!" Kent screams again.

Danny continues to walk towards them; conveniently blocking Kent's view of Ed. Ed takes out his gun from the back of his pants. Danny stands just feet from George Kent now. "George listen, just let her go and we can call Sam and straighten this all out." Danny says trying to negotiate with the man. Danny takes another step towards Kent.

"I said don't move!" Kent screams, shooting Danny in the shoulder. McCoy lets out a scream and sees Kent push Delinda over the edge.

"No!" Danny screams out horrified, launching himself to the side of the building, grabbing her hand with his bad shoulder. As Danny launches himself to the edge he clears the path from Ed to Kent. Ed lets loose two bullets in Kent's chest.

Danny looks down to his girlfriend dangling six stories off the ground. "Danny please!" She begs, tears streaming down her face, a look of terror in her eyes. "Danny, please don't drop me." She cries, blood dripping onto her face from Danny's shoulder. The pain he feels is unbearable, but he knows the pain of losing her would be a thousand times worse.

"Delinda!" Ed yells, running to Danny's side. "Give me your other hand!" Ed shouts, extending his arms out to her.

"I can't reach…" she sobs, trying to outstretch her arm further. "I can't reach!" Danny can feel her hand start to slip and the muscles in his shoulder start to tear. "Danny….please!" she screams, just trying to breathe.

McCoy looks down into her eyes filled with pure horror. "I'm…not…going…to….drop…you." he says, suddenly feeling the pain in his shoulder disappear. He looks down to her and starts to pull her up with all his might. She lifts her other hand and grabs a hold of his arm with both hands. Ed reaches out and helps pull her back over the side. She falls to the floor wrapped in Danny's arms sobbing uncontrollably.

Ed runs his hand through her hair when she looks up to him, her face going white. "Mom…" she whispers. Ed feels his stomach sink; he turns around and runs to the side of Kent's car. He sits down on the floor dragging her into his lap, stroking her head. He brings his hand back up to see it covered with blood.

"Jill….Jillian." he says softly, his voice starting to crack. She doesn't respond, her motionless body lays limp in his lap. He puts his fingers to her neck and feels a faint pulse. "SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!" he screams. The sound of sirens and the screeching noise of the police cars coming up the parking garage get louder.

Delinda looks to her distraught father and buries her head in the crook of Danny's neck. He wraps his good arm around her head, never wanting to let her go.

Ed looks down to his wife and rubs her face. "Jillian…" he says again softly. "Stay with me baby." He says, a tear running down his cheek. He closes his eyes and puts his forehead to hers.

"….Eddie…." she says faintly. Ed's heart skips a beat as he lifts his head. He sees her eyes open and a smile spreads all across his face.

"Yeah, I'm right here sweetie." He says stroking her face.

"Delinda?" she says trying to get up to see if her daughter was safe.

Ed pushes her back down, "She's fine." He says with a smile. "We're all fine."

The ambulance finally pulls up and the paramedics rush over to Danny. "I'm fine!" he shouts pushing them all off him. He lets Delinda go and stands up. "She needs help." He orders, pointing to Jillian and walking over to her. A couple other paramedics walk over to Ed and Jillian while the other two continue to try and calm Danny down. "I said I'm fine! You need to help her!" He shouts, still pointing to Jillian.

The two medics bring a gurney over and carefully transfer Jillian onto it. Ed stands up not letting go of his wife's hand. "I love you." She whispers to him.

Ed smiles and leans down to kiss her. "I love you too."

Danny continues to yell at the paramedics and finally just walks away. He walks to Jillian's side, "I'm sorry." He says shaking his head. "I should have come to pick you up."

Jillian smiles up at the young man, shaking her head. "Daniel…" she says taking his hand in hers. "I'm ok; we're all safe now. So let the doctors look at your shoulder." She says squeezing his hand. Danny opens his mouth to speak. "Go." She orders him.

Danny nods his head, "Yes ma'am." The paramedics lift the gurney into the ambulance, Ed sitting by his wife's side and drive off to the hospital.

McCoy suddenly feels lightheaded as the adrenalin wears off. He looks around, everything around him moving. He stumbles towards the other ambulance starting to collapse, but luckily is caught by the other medics. They help him onto the gurney, but he can't see what's going on. Suddenly he sees what looks like Delinda's face. "…De…linda…?" he says quietly.

"Danny!....Danny!..." he can hear her faintly screaming, as though it were from a distance. Suddenly all goes black.  
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	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Delinda runs into the hospital behind the gurney. They push through another set of swinging doors and a nurse steps in front of her. "I need to…" she starts, pointing to Danny on the gurney.

"I'm sorry miss, but you can't go beyond this point."

"No, I need to be with him." She shouts, trying to brush past the nurse.

"Miss, please!" the nurse says loudly, grabbing Delinda by her arms. Delinda pulls her arms back with a grimaced look on her face.

"Danny!" she yells as she watches the gurney turn the corner and out of sight. The nurse gives her a concerned look and rolls Delinda's sleeves up, reveling severe bruising. She then looks up to her shoulder which appears to be dislocated.

"Come with me." The nurse says, guiding Delinda to an examination room.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ed stands next to his wife as the doctor looks over her head. A few minutes later he stands back and looks to Ed and Jillian. "Well, it seems that you have a mild concussion. I'm going to recommend that you take it easy for the next couple of days. Also, I'm going to prescribe you a few doses of acetaminophen which should bring down the swelling and relieve some discomfort." He says as he writes the prescription.

"Anything else doc?" Ed asks, taking Jillian's hand in his.

"Just be sure that she is drinking plenty of fluids." He says, handing Ed the piece of paper.

"Ok, thanks doc." Ed says nodding his head. The doctor smiles and leaves the room. Ed looks back to his wife and examines the bandage on her forehead.

"I'm fine Dr. Deline." She says jokingly. Ed smiles and leans back a little to take a good look at her. "I'm ok." She says reading his mind. "I'm not going anywhere." Ed smiles and leans down to kiss his wife. "You should go check on Delinda and Danny." she whispers, her face just centimeters from his. Ed hesitates, knowing that she's right but not wanting to leave her either. "I said I'm fine." She says quickly, kissing him again. "Now go." She says with a smile and pushing him away.

Deline gives in and exits the room with a heavy sigh. He makes his way over to the help desk and leans against the counter. "Excuse me." He says politely.

A nurse turns around in her chair to face him. "May I help you?" she asks as she fills out some paperwork.

"Yeah, I'd like to know where Delinda Deline and Danny McCoy's rooms are."

"Are you related?" the nurse asks, not looking up from her paperwork.

"Yes." He answers irritably. "I'm the father."

"To both of them?" She asks, looking up to him skeptically.

Ed hesitates for a moment, wanting to answer yes. He sure as hell felt like Danny's father, but he knew this wasn't the time or the place for that conversation with himself. "I'm Delinda's father, Danny is her boyfriend." He answers reluctantly.

The nurse looks down to her chart, "Your daughter is in room 208 just down the hall to your right." She reads.

"…and Danny?"

"He's in surgery." She says now looking up from the chart.

Ed's stomach twists in knots, "Ok, thank you." He says halfheartedly. He walks down the hallway to his daughter's room and sees her lying on the bed half asleep. He walks over and takes a seat next to her bed.

Delinda turns her head to face her father. "Daddy?" she asks softly.

"Yeah, it's me sweaty. I'm right here." He answers gently, moving in to hold her hand.

"Mom…?" she asks, looking around the room.

"She's ok too, she's just down the hall." He says, pointing down the hallway.

"…and Danny?" she asks, looking into her father's eyes.

Ed hesitates, not sure of what to say, "He's in surgery." He answers quietly.

"He's ok?" she asks, seeing the look of fear in her father's eyes.

Ed shakes his head, "I don't know." He answers truthfully. Delinda looks away and closes her eyes with fear. A nurse walks in the room and looks to Ed. He stands up and walks with her to the corner of the room. "How is she?" he asks.

"She's ok now, we had to pop her shoulder back into place and give her sedative…."

"A sedative? Why?" Ed asks with a defensive tone.

"She was uncontrollably distraught when she came in. We just gave her something to help her relax. She should be completely lucid in an hour or two." The nurse explains.

"What about Danny McCoy?" Ed asks demandingly.

"He's in surgery now; we won't know anything more until the surgery is over."

"How long will that be?" Ed asks impatiently.

"About two hours."

Ed looks away and sighs with frustration. "Ok thank you." Ed says turning to walk back to his daughter's side. "Oh wait a minute." He says turning back to the nurse. "Can we transfer my wife to my daughter's room?" Ed asks, looking to the empty bed next to Delinda.

"Sir, we don't switch rooms unless there's probable cause." The nurse says shaking her head.

"I think putting a distraught young woman's mind at ease is probable cause…don't you?" He says, pointing to a sleeping Delinda.

The nurse looks to Delinda and lets out a heavy sigh. "I'll see what I can do." she says with a smile and a nod of the head.

"Thank you." Ed says smiling.  
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Sam rolls over and picks up her cell phone. She scowls when she sees thirteen missed calls. She sets the phone back down, not really caring who was trying to reach her. As she rests her head back on her pillow she hears a banging at the door. "Go away, no one's home!" she shouts.

"Sam it's Nessa! Open up!" she yells through the door.

"Ugghhhh…." Sam groans, throwing the covers off her bed. She walks over to the door and hurls it open. "What do you want?" she asks irritably.

"Where have you been?!" Nessa screams, walking into the brunette's suite. "I've called you like ten times." She says throwing her hands in the air.

"Try thirteen!" Sam says looking to Nessa like a crazy woman. "Now what they hell are you ranting and raving about?"

"It's your dad!" Nessa says breathlessly.

Sam shakes her head with confusion. "What?"

"He's dead Sam. He shot Danny, threw Delinda off the parking garage, and hit Jillian over the head with his gun." She says all in one breath.

"What? Are they….are they ok?" she asks, trying to take in all of the information.

"I don't know. They were rushed to the hospital and Ed isn't picking up his phone. Now let's go." She says, grabbing Sam's hand and dragging her out the door.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"_Danny! Danny please; don't drop me!" she yells. Danny tries his hardest to pull her up but he can feel her hand slipping from his own. _

"_Danny don't drop her!" Ed commands from behind him. _

_He can feel her getting away from him, he can see the look of terror in her eyes, he can hear the sound of panic in Ed's voice. "I'm sorry…" he mumbles as Delinda slips out of his hands.  
_…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Nessa and Sam rush into the hospital and over to the desk where Mike is waiting for them. "Excuse me miss, can you tell me where Delinda Deline or Danny McCoy are?" Nessa asks with a panic.

"Popular couple I see" the nurse mutters.

"What was that?" Sam asks defensively.

"Nothing, are you related?" The nurse asks, looking up to the girls.

"She's my sister." Nessa answers. The nurse looks to her skeptically. "What?" Nessa asks outraged. "Where's your chief of staff?" Nessa yells.

Ed pokes his head out of his wife and daughters room to see Nessa screaming at the nurse. He smiles slightly and walks over to Mike and the girls. "Judy, Judy it's ok." Ed says, resting his hand on the nurses shoulder. "She's my daughter."  
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_With a flash Danny looks around and sees Cody lying in the backseat of the truck. "Danny please, help me." Cody gurgles, blood escaping the corners of his mouth. _

"_Do something Danny" Ed shouts, pushing Danny closer to Cody._

"_McCoy please…" Cody pleads. "I'm doing you favor…you can't let this happen."_

_McCoy grabs Cody's hand and watches as the life leaves his body. "I'm sorry." Danny says starting to choke up.  
_…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"How are they?" Sam asks with a worried tone.

"Jillian has a concussion; doc says she'll be good as new in a couple days. Delinda….Delinda is pretty shaken up. They popped her shoulder back into place and gave her something to help her relax." Ed says, looking to his family in the hospital room.

"…and Danny?" Mike asks, adjusting himself on the crutches.

Ed lets out a deep breath, "He's in surgery." He answers.

"Surgery?!" Sam asks alarmed. "Is he ok?"

"He was shot in the shoulder, the doctors are doing what they can, but we won't know anything until the surgery is over."  
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_With a flash he sees PFC Ryan tied to a chair in front of him. "Lieutenant, don't let them do this!" John Ryan cries out. _

"_John…"Danny says softly. _

"_Please Lieutenant." Ryan begs. "Please, do something. I don't want to die." He says looking into the gun barrel pointed at his head. __**BANG**_

"_I'm sorry John." Danny whispers.  
_…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Nessa and Sam take a seat at Jillian's bedside. "How are you doing?" Nessa asks, leaning in for kiss on the cheek.

"I'm fine." Jillian replies with a weak smile. She then turns her head to look at Delinda in the bed next to her. "I'm not so sure about that one." She says, now looking back to Nessa and Sam.

Sam lowers her head, ashamed of what has happened. "I'm sorry." She says regretfully. "I shouldn't have let it get this far." She says shaking her head. "I should have…"

"Sam…" Jillian says, reaching out to grab Sam's hand. "There's nothing you could have done."  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_With another flash Danny looks around and sees a crowd on the casino floor. He looks around confusedly for a moment or two before he realizes where he is, or when he is. He moves through the crowd of people and sees Mary lying on the floor in front of him. He takes a few steps towards her and takes a knee beside her. _

"_Danny…" she says with a smile. _

"_Hi baby." He says stroking her hair. _

"_How are you?" she asks with her kind sweet voice. _

_Danny shakes his head, not sure on how to answer the question. "I'm scared Mary." He says, a tear falling down the side of his face. _

_Mary reaches up and brushes away his tears, "Of what?" she asks quietly. _

"_of…moving on without you, of getting close to Delinda, of hurting the people around me…" he says, getting everything off his chest. _

"_Danny…" she says smiling; the pool of blood growing larger. "You'll move on, but you'll never be without me. I'll always be with you right here." She says placing her hand on his heart. "and don't be afraid of Delinda, Danny." she says shaking her head. "She loves you Danny, and I can see that you love her too." Danny looks away uncomfortably. "…and you would never hurt anyone Danny." she says with a scowl. "You know that."_

"_Everyone around me…." Danny begins, starting to choke up. "They all die…all of them. My team, you, my dad, Ryan, Cody, and…" _

"_and…" Mary questions. _

"_Everyone I've seen so far is someone that I've seen die. The first person I saw was Delinda." He cries. "I didn't save her did I? She's dead?" he asks. _

"_Everything'll be ok Danny." She smiles, stroking the side of his face. McCoy closes his eyes for a split second, but when he opens them everything starts to fade into a white mist. _

"_Wait Mary, I'm not ready!" he shouts. "I'm sorry!" he yells as he sees the last glimpse of her face.  
_…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Mike and Ed wait outside while the girls talk, "how's about we go for a walk?" Ed suggests, clapping Mike on the shoulder.

Mike nods his head and walks along the hallway on his crutches. "How do you think Danny is?" Mike asks as they pass the front desk.

Ed shakes his head and lets out a heavy sigh. "I don't know."

They walk down another corridor when five nurses come sprinting past them. "He's going into shock! We're losing him!" the doctor shouts. More nurses run through the swinging doors.

Ed stops and catches a glimpse of the body on the table; his heart sinking. "Danny…" he mumbles.

"What?" Mike says, looking to Ed with alarm. Ed rushes into the room with Mike close behind.

"Get a chest tube in him stat!" the doctor orders, the sound of Danny flat lining in the background. "We need to stop this bleeding!" he yells, "I need some suction over here." He says, looking to a nurse behind him. "Ok, this isn't working. Get the defibrillator!" he screams. One of the nurses wheels the cart over, handing the paddles to the doctor. "Clear…" he says, just before shocking the marine. He waits a moment and looks to the monitor in front of him. "Turn it up….clear…" he shouts, again looking to the monitor.

Mike looks to his friend on the table in front of him with pure horror. Ed backs up and hits the wall behind him, sliding to the floor. He places his head between his legs, trying to breathe.

"Again!" the doctor screams, "clear…" he looks back up to the monitor and here's a beep. **Beep…………..beep…..beep…beep.** Ed lifts his head and looks to Danny on the table. "We've got a pulse!" the doctor practically cheers, looking over his shoulder to get a tool from one of the nurses. "Nurse! Get these guys out of my O.R!" he orders with a serious tone.

Ed stands up and resists the nurse, "please sir, wait outside!" she pleads. Ed reluctantly gives in and walks back into the hallway with Mike; taking a seat in some nearby chairs. He bends over, his elbows on his knees, and his head in his hands.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Nessa looks out to the hallway and frowns. "Where'd the guys go?" she asks curiously.

"Probably to find something out about Danny." Jillian says softly, with a tone full of sorrow.

"How was he?" Sam asks, not able to make eye contact.

"He was in shock. I don't think he even realized he had been shot." She answers softly, not wanting to wake her daughter.

"But how did he look?" Nessa asks impatiently, wanting to know the severity of his injury.

"He was bleeding pretty badly." She answers simply, not wanting to make Sam feel any worse than she already was. A nurse walks in and picks up Jillian's chart. "Excuse me miss…" Jillian says politely. "Would you happen to know how my friend's surgery is going? You know the one that came in with my daughter." She says pointing to Delinda.

The nurse looks to Jillian with a grimaced face. "I'm sorry ma'am, I don't know." She lies.

"Danny McCoy…he was shot in the shoulder." Jillian says trying to clarify.

"I'm sorry ma'am…" the nurse says again, now walking out of the room. As she's about to walk out the door she stops when Mike makes his way in. She looks to him with a sorrow filled face as she recognizes him from the O.R. Mike lowers her head and steps aside to allow her to leave.

Nessa looks to him and smiles, "Hey…" she says cheerfully. She looks behind him and scowls. "Where's Ed?" she asks. Mike walks to Jillian's bedside and lifts his head. Nessa looks into his eyes and stands up. "What is it?" she asks, barely even audible.  
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Ed sits in the chair just outside Danny's operating room, trying his hardest just to breathe. A few minutes later he lifts his head as he hears the swinging doors open. He looks up to see the doctor walking towards him, taking his bandana off his head.

Ed stands up, the knot in his stomach tightening. "How is he doc?" he finally spits out.  
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"…we walked into the operating room and Danny was…." Mike says, trying to shake the image of Danny's lifeless body on the operating table out of his mind. "They were all yelling…" he says, his voice starting to crack. "They kept screaming _we're losing him, we're losing him" _he says with the tears flowing freely down his face. "The shocked him three times before he got a pulse." He says now wiping the tears away. "he was just lying there."

"But he's ok right?" Sam says nodding her head.

Mike shakes his head. "I don't know, he had a pulse when they escorted us out." He says with a sniffle. Nessa walks over and wraps her arms around him.

"Well where's Ed?" Sam asks standing up, clearly upset.

"He's waiting outside the O.R." Mike answers.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The doctor lets out a deep breath before answering. "The bullet…" he starts, Ed closes his eyes, grateful that he didn't start out with '_I'm sorry but…'. _He reopens his eyes to let the doctor continue on. "…traveled from Mr. McCoy's shoulder to the center of his chest, puncturing his lung." He says slowly. "There was some sever tissue and muscle damage, but nothing that he can't recover from with some physical therapy." He says with a nod of the head.

"Why…" Ed starts, but stops to clear his throat. "He flat lined…." Ed states.

The doctor nods his head with a shameful expression flashing across his face. "The bullet punctured Mr. Mc…"

"It's Danny." Ed cuts in irritably. "His name's Danny."

The doctor looks to Ed; sorry that he had upset him. "The bullet punctured Danny's right lung, while his left lung was filling with fluid. He wasn't getting any oxygen." He says, trying to explain in comprehendible terms.

"Why did his left lung have fluid in it?" Ed asks confused.

"Most likely from shock; with traumatic events such as this the body's blood flow reduces causing fluid to back up in the blood vessels that carry blood away from the lungs to the heart."

As the doctor finishes his sentence the nurses wheel Danny out on the gurney, making their way to his room. Ed rushes over to Danny's side and looks down to him; tubes coming out of his nose, chest, and mouth; his shoulder with eight stitches in it. "Where're you taking him?" Ed asks, not taking his eyes off Danny.

"A room on the east wing." The nurse answers.

Ed turns around to face the doctor. "Doc, you put him over by my family." Ed orders more than asks.

The doctor looks to Ed and nods his head. "Put him in East 212." He says to the nurse.

"yes doctor."


	27. Chapter 27 Last Chapter

**Chapter 27  
one hour later**

Ed sits in a chair beside Danny's bed fast asleep, his head resting against the side. Danny moves his head slightly before opening his eyes. Immediately, Ed shoots his head up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He stands up and looks down to Danny.

McCoy opens his eyes to see Ed standing over him. He suddenly has a feeling of panic wash over him and he shoots upright. "Where is she?" he asks, looking around the room for her. "I dropped her didn't I?" he says with panic and his eyes welling up with tears.

Ed pushes the young man back down, "No, no, no she's fine." He says calmly. "She's in the room next door." He says pointing to the next room over. McCoy nods his head and starts to breathe heavily. He looks to his chest and sees the tubes coming out of it. He looks to Ed with alarm for an answer. Deline sighs before answering. "You were shot Danny…the bullet veered off and punctured your lung." He says softly. "apparently with all the commotion your other lung began to fill with fluid."

Danny shakes his head, not interested in what his mentor was saying. "I don't care." He says curtly. "How is she? How's Jillian?"

Ed smiles and places his hand on Danny's good shoulder. "They're fine. Delinda had a dislocated shoulder and Jillian has a minor concussion." He says with a shrug.

"and Kent?" Danny asks, short of breath.

"He's dead." Ed says nodding his head. Danny sighs with relief. He then starts to unhook the tubes and tries to stand up. "Whoa whoa whoa! What are you doing?" Ed shouts, trying to get Danny to lie back down.

"I want to see them." Danny growls, giving Ed a look much like the one his mentor usually gave him. Ed gives in, helping Danny to his feet. As they reach Delinda's room Danny shrugs Ed off. He walks in the girls room on his own two feet, starring at the sleeping women in front of him; Delinda fast asleep in the bed nearest the door, Jillian past out in the far bed, and Sam sleeping in a chair between the two. McCoy smiles and walks over to Delinda, taking a seat beside her. He runs his hand over her face and smiles.  
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**Seven hours later  
7:00 am**

Delinda rolls over and smiles at the sight of a sleeping Sam in the chair beside her. A nurse walks in the room, smiling at Delinda as she does so.

"How are you feeling Miss. Deline?" she asks, picking up her chart.

Delinda nods her head, "I'm fine…" she says curtly. "How's Danny McCoy?" She asks, now sitting up in her bed, preparing for the worst.

The nurse gives her a warm smile, "He's fine." She says softly, "he's in the room right next door."

Delinda lets out a huge sigh of relief. "Can I see him?" she asks, her eyes welling up with tears. The nurse looks out in the hallway hesitantly before answering. "Please." She adds. The nurse gives in and helps Delinda out of her bed, quietly.

As they walk into Danny's room Delinda looks to the nurse, "I'll give you a moment." The nurse says smiling and walking back towards her desk. Delinda walks to the foot of Danny's bed and leans against it. She leans her head to the right as something catches her eye. A smile spreads across her face as she looks down at her father sleeping on a cot next to Danny's bed. She finds herself letting out a small giggle, but covers her mouth when she hears it.

Danny shakes his head a little and opens his eyes. He grins when he sees Delinda standing in front of him smiling. "Hi…" he utters simply. Delinda quickly looks from her father to Danny,

"Hi" she says cheerfully. There's a short silence, not an awkward silence, but a comfortable one. "Have you seen this?" she asks, nodding towards her father.

Danny rolls to the side of his bed and peers over the edge. He starts to laugh when he sees Ed fast asleep, one arm behind his head and the other draped across his stomach. "no…" he says laughing and shaking his head. He looks back to Delinda and just stares, stares and smiles as he wonders how she can look so beautiful without even trying. "Come here." He says, patting the edge of his bed.

She walks over and sits down, taking his hand in hers. "You look like crap." She says brushing a piece of hair behind his ear.

"I feel like it." He says with a laugh. "How are you?"

"I'm ok, I just had a dislocated shoulder." She says with a shrug.

"and your mom…?"

"Mild concussion. You got the worst of it." She says running her hand over the bandages on his shoulder. Danny winces a little as she presses down a bit too hard. "I'm sorry." She says, afraid that she really hurt him. She then looks down to her right and smiles at her waking father. He opens his eyes and looks to his daughter and Danny.

"Morning sunshine." Danny says with a grin. Ed laughs and sits up, rubbing his eyes.

"You should have gone home and got some sleep." Delinda says with concern in her voice.

Ed shakes his head. "I got some sleep." He says motioning towards his cot. Ed stands up and looks down at Danny. "How's it feeling?"

"Like I was shot in the shoulder." He says, wincing at the pain as he readjusts himself.

Ed lets out a small laugh, trying to hide the worry he's consumed with. "Well maybe we should get the nurse in here, have her give you something for the pain?" he says with a shrug of the shoulders, like it was no big deal.

"I'm fine." Danny states, waving off Ed's concern. "really"

Ed looks back to his protégé and scowls as he sees the sweat pouring down his temple, the bags under his eyes getting bigger and darker, his leg twitching from the pain in his shoulder. "Yeah…" he says turning to leave the room. He walks out to the help desk and grabs the attention of a nearby nurse. "Excuse me, my…" he stops, not sure of what to call him. He thinks for a split second how many times this predicament seemed to come up, but shakes his head free from the thought. "my friend needs something for the pain." He says pointing to Danny's room. The nurse looks around the empty hallways, sighing as she stands up. Reluctantly, she fallows Ed to the room and picks up McCoy's chart. She reads over it quickly, then walks over to Danny and peels back the bandages on his shoulder.

"I'll be right back" she says dryly as she leaves the room. Delinda makes a face as the nurse from hell walks away, causing Danny to fall into a fit of laughter.

His laughter quickly transforms into a cough, then a loud wheeze, and soon deep gasps for air. His face is full of panic and distress.

"Danny!" Delinda screams with alarm.

Ed runs back into the hallway, "Nurse!" he calls, his voice full of shear horror. The nurse comes running out of the supply closet and runs to Danny's room as she sees Ed's face filled with fear.

She pushes Delinda aside and pulls Danny's gown down, just enough to reveal his chest. She looks around and sees his chest tube hanging to his side. She quickly lifts it back up and places it in its proper place.

Danny shoots upright, taking in deep gasping breaths. He lies back down and closes his eyes for a moment. Delinda stares down at him, glad to see the look of panic diminish from his face. "Your chest tube came dislodged." The nurse says calmly, now taking a needle from her pocket. "This should help with the pain." She says, injecting it into his IV. Danny nods his head silently as the nurse walks out of the room.

"You ok pal?" Ed asks, patting Danny's foot as he stands at the end of the bed. McCoy again nods his head. "Good." Ed replies. There's a short silence, all of them looking to each other. "I'm going to check on Jillian." He says motioning towards the next room over.

"Ok." Delinda says nodding her head.

Ed then leaves the room and walks the three feet to his wife's room. As he enters Jillian sits up worriedly. "Is he ok? I heard you yell." She asks, concern filling her hoarse voice.

Ed smiles and nods his head as he takes a seat on the edge of her bed. "He's fine." He replies coolly. "his chest tube came loose."

"Chest tube?" she says, clearly lost at her husband's statement.

"The bullet punctured his lung, and somehow with all the commotion his other filled up with fluid…" he says shaking his head, unsure of all the medical terms.

Jillian sighs, upset that Danny had to go through all of that, but relieved that he was ok. "Where'd you sleep?" she asks, changing the subject. "I woke up and you were gone."

"I slept on a cot in Danny's room." He answers, knowing that his wife was going to say something. Jillian smiles at her husband like he's a cute little boy. "What?" he asks defensively.

"You were scared." She says, grabbing his hand.

Ed lets out a deep breath and looks to the floor. "I watched him die last night. I'm not in a hurry to see it again." He says shaking his head, trying to rid himself of the images.

Jillian squeezes his hand and looks to his sympathetically.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Nessa looks to Mike sitting at the kitchen table as she unwraps some of their dishes from the moving boxes. "You ok?" she calls out to him, pulling Mike out of his trance.

Mike looks up startled. "Yeah…" he says with an unsure tone. "…wondering how Danny's doing." He confesses, looking to his watch.

"So call Ed." She says with a shrug of her shoulders.

"It's seven thirty in the morning." He says with a high pitched voice. "I'm not going to wake him up." Mike squeals, looking to Nessa like she was crazy.

"He's up, trust me." She says tossing Mike the phone.

Mike sighs and dials the number, giving in to his curiosity. The phone rings a few times before Ed picks up. "Ed it's Mike."

"Hey Mike." Ed whispers, trying not to wake Sam still sleeping in the chair.

"I didn't wake you up did I?"

"No, I'm awake, what's going on?" he asks now walking out to the hallway.

"How's Danny?"

Ed hesitates, not sure of how to start.

"Ed!?" Mike calls into the phone with alarm. "Is he ok?"

"He's fine." Ed spits out, hearing Mike let out a sigh of relief. "He's awake and talking."

"…but?"

"but what? But nothing." Ed says defensively.

"Ok, we'll head over there in a little bit."

"ok." Ed says hanging up the phone. He peaks in on Danny and Delinda before reentering his wife's room. "He wanted to see how Danny was doing." He says pointing to his phone. Jillian nods her head with a smile. "How are you feeling?" he asks, taking his seat on the edge of her bed.

"Fine, a little hungry." She admits.

"Me too." Sam adds sleepily as she awakes from her awkward slumber.

Ed turns around to face her, "Well I guess you better wake your ass up and get us something to eat." He orders jokingly.

Sam smiles and looks to Delinda's empty bed. "Where's she?"

Ed nods his head next door, "With Danny."

Sam suddenly tenses up, looking to Ed nervously. "He's awake?" she asks softly. Ed nods his head. "oh." She says standing up, rubbing the wrinkles out of her pants. "ok." She walks out of the room slowly and takes in a deep breath before entering the next. "Knock, knock," she says with a brave smile as she walks into Danny's room.

"Hey!" both Danny and Delinda say cheerfully. "How are you doing?" Danny asks with his sweet smile.

"I'm fine, you're the one who looks like crap." She laughs.

"Thanks." He says with a grin. "Have a seat." He says motioning towards the chair.

She pulls the chair closer and takes a seat. "Thanks." She whispers.

Danny looks to Delinda, clearly confused. "For what?" he asks, slightly laughing.

"For killing him." She answers bluntly. Delinda moves her head back, shocked at her friend's frank statement.

Danny shakes his head and briefly looks away. He then looks back and grabs her hand, never saying a word. Sam looks to the floor, hating the awkward moment.

Ed walks in with Jillian at his side dressed in her street clothes. Sam looks up, thankful for the break of silence. "where are you going?" Danny asks, looking to his surrogate parents.

"The doctor said I can go home." Jillian smiles.

"Well you'll have to wait, I ordered bagels." He says grinning.

"From bagel tree?" Sam asks excitedly.

"Yeah," Danny laughs, grinning at her child like expression.

As they all smile and laugh together Mike and Nessa walk in. "Hey!" they all say together.

"Hi." Nessa says, greeting them all. "And look at you two in your matching dresses." She says laughing and walking over to Danny and Delinda.

"Shut up!" Danny laughs.

The seven of them sit in the small hospital room, laughing, smiling, joking, ….healing.

Ed looks around the crowded room and recalls the events of the past year. Everything that had happened was over; it was all behind them now. They could get back to their normal lives…or as normal as you can get in Vegas. He laughs at his last thought and moves closer to his family, joining in on the celebration.

**Author's Notes: ****This is the last chapter of this story. I really hope you enjoyed it and I appreciate all of your kind reviews. I've started a sequel to this story **_**ComeHome**_** that takes place about fifteen years in the future, some of you have already read the first few chapters; I hope you follow on with you kind reviews. Again thank you for your reviews; feel free to leave one for this chapter, let me know what you thought. **


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